desecration

[des-i-krey-shuhn]

noun

1. 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.

2. 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of desecration¹

desecr(ate) + -ation ( def. )

Example Sentences

The attack on a Manchester synagogue which killed two people was a "desecration" that has "changed us all forever", its leaders have said.

From BBC

If you see someone as a martyr, then opposition to their movement is not merely disagreement, it is desecration.

From Salon

The justices backed up that ruling a short time later, invalidating a federal law banning desecration of the flag that was passed in Johnson’s wake.

From Salon

She said she wanted to "unleash the spirit of Lincolnshire" against "the planned desecration of our countryside".

From BBC

"That original taking was illicit, was unethical, was a form of desecration," he told BBC News NI.

From BBC

Related Words

• blasphemy