desecration
Americannoun
-
the act of treating something sacred or solemn in a sacrilegious or disrespectful way.
Many locals opposed the use of their former church building as a courthouse, feeling that conducting civil matters there would be a desecration of a holy place.
-
the act of ruining or violating something revered or greatly valued.
Greedy corporations are contributing to the demise of civilization and the desecration of the ecosystem.
Other Word Forms
- nondesecration noun
Etymology
Origin of desecration
Explanation
Desecration is a type of behavior that disrespects the sacredness or holiness of something. Words and actions that are offensive to a religion could be considered acts of desecration. Swearing in church is a type of desecration. Destroying a tombstone is a type of desecration. Depending on the religion, taking God's name in vain could be considered desecration. This word means something close to blasphemy or sacrilege. Sometimes, desecration is used in non-religious contexts, when an idea people care about is treated disrespectfully.
Vocabulary lists containing desecration
The Bluest Eye
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Texas v. Johnson (1989)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
So going back nearly 60 years, the late Mr. Flint has been left to quietly suffer the indignities of desecration and abandonment, but for temporary intervention.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2026
Certain hardline sections of the ultra-Orthodox community disagree with autopsies, saying any interference with a dead body is a desecration according to the Torah.
From Barron's • Jan. 20, 2026
West Virginia, Massachusetts, South Dakota, Louisiana, Iowa, Illinois—these isolated local stories are combining to mark a nationwide desecration of the dead.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 14, 2026
"That original taking was illicit, was unethical, was a form of desecration," he told BBC News NI.
From BBC • Apr. 28, 2025
But these pictures are not only mockery, not only desecration.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
