desecrate

[ des-i-kreyt ]

See synonyms for: desecrate desecrated desecrating on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),des·e·crat·ed, des·e·crat·ing.

to divest of sacred or hallowed character or office.
to divert from a sacred to a profane use or purpose.

to treat with sacrilege; profane.

Origin of desecrate

First recorded in 1665–75; de- + -secrate, modeled on consecrate

Other words for desecrate

3	defile, violate, dishonor, pollute, outrage

See synonyms for desecrate on Thesaurus.com

Other words from desecrate

des·e·crat·er, des·e·cra·tor, noun
des·e·cra·tion [des-i-krey-shuhn] /dɛs ɪˈkreɪ ʃən/ noun
un·des·e·crat·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use desecrate in a sentence

This was after ten years in France when priests and nuns were killed and alters were being desecrated.
Napoleon Was a Dynamite Dictator | J.P. O’Malley | November 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Stories have included forced conversion to Islam and churches being desecrated in this vicious sectarian conflict.
Syria’s Christians Flee Kidnappings, Rape, Executions | Jamie Dettmer | November 19, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
He later relayed false rumors that drunken fans had desecrated the dead and attacked a police officer.
Inquiry Finds Police Cover-Up in Deaths of 96 Fans at Hillsborough | Peter Jukes | September 13, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
Fire takes hold," he told his faithful, "only where the Sabbath is desecrated.
Israel's Inferno | Fania Oz-Salzberger | December 5, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST
Bloodshed and cruelty often desecrated the spot sacred to religion and the ashes of the sainted dead.
The Catacombs of Rome | William Henry Withrow

Better that a man be dead than cursed by a mother whose child has been desecrated.'
Etidorhpa or the End of Earth. | John Uri Lloyd
For many decades a large part of the cathedral was desecrated by a throng of hucksters, idlers, and fops.
Milton's England | Lucia Ames Mead
How deplorable would it be if the temple could not be opened without the risk of its altar being desecrated!
The Knight Of Gwynne, Vol. II (of II) | Charles James Lever
He found the patronage of the Church the desecrated spoil and merchandise of princes; he reduced it to his own dominion.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume V | John Lord

British Dictionary definitions for desecrate

desecrate

/ (ˈdɛsɪˌkreɪt) /

verb(tr)

to violate or outrage the sacred character of (an object or place) by destructive, blasphemous, or sacrilegious action
to remove the consecration from (a person, object, building, etc); deconsecrate

Origin of desecrate

C17: from de- + consecrate

Derived forms of desecrate

desecrator or desecrater, noun
desecration, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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