desecrate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
-
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
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
desecratesimple
-
desecratessimple
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have desecratedperfect
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has desecratedperfect
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am desecratingprogressive
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are desecratingprogressive
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is desecratingprogressive
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have been desecratingperfect progressive
-
has been desecratingperfect progressive
Past
-
desecratedsimple
-
had desecratedperfect
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was desecratingprogressive
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were desecratingprogressive
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had been desecratingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of desecrate
First recorded in 1665–75; de- + -secrate, modeled on consecrate
Explanation
To desecrate means to treat a sacred place or thing with violent disrespect. The news sometimes reports on vandals who have desecrated tombstones or places of worship. The word consecrate from the Latin consecrare means "to make sacred." Substituting the prefix con- with de- reverses the meaning. When preparing for a foreign occupation, the military instructs troops not to desecrate sacred sites and risk offending the local population. You can also desecrate someone's memory if you spread malicious lies about him after his death.
Vocabulary lists containing desecrate
Their Eyes Were Watching God
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The Book Thief
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Bless Me, Ultima
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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.
See Examples For:
“Excessively entertainment-oriented portrayals desecrate the nation’s suffering and disrespect the people who made sacrifices,” read a recent commentary published in the state-run Economic Daily newspaper.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2025
Tension was brewing between us, but I was terrified to address it and desecrate our sacred platonic bond as roommates.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 11, 2025
DunKley said Harvard’s refusal to take full responsibility has done more to desecrate the donation process than those who allegedly stole body parts.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 13, 2024
Calling the painting "sick stuff," Giuliani whined, "you can't do things that desecrate the most personal and deeply held views of people in society."
From Salon ● Dec. 20, 2023
“Someone,” William barreled on, “we believe Prior Michelangelo, sent men to Ville Sainte-Geneviève to desecrate the holy dog’s grave. This girl, Jeanne, had a vision it would happen.”
From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz
“The theft of items, potential family heirlooms and sentimental pieces from the deceased, not only violates this trust but desecrates the memory of a loved one,” Gascón said in a statement.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 8, 2023
The confessional solo is a hallowed form downtown; Berlant desecrates it from every side.
From New York Times ● Sep. 7, 2022
The Sunday Telegraph says ministers are considering proposals to jail for 10 years anyone who desecrates a war memorial.
From The Guardian ● Jun. 14, 2020
Electronic advertising desecrates the bridges, but boringly so, and outside the window of Owen’s Roosevelt Island apartment, a neon ad for Oral-B alternates with one for Jolly Rancher.
From The New Yorker ● Sep. 21, 2018
But, on the whole, as Time adds much to the sacredness of Symbols, so likewise in his progress he at length defaces, or even desecrates them; and Symbols, like all terrestrial Garments, wax old.
From Sartor Resartus: the life and opinions of Herr Teufelsdröckh by Carlyle, Thomas
But tech titan Elon Musk has taken to X on multiple occasions to criticize the film, which in his opinion "desecrated" the story.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
Westminster Mall, a once-popular shopping center that has been desecrated by graffiti and vandalism since it closed last year, is on track for demolition soon.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 10, 2026
In a London auditorium, a work of art is being desecrated.
From New York Times ● Mar. 26, 2024
But Audubon was also a slaveholder who opposed abolition and desecrated the graves of Native Americans, a legacy which still causes harm today, Wells said.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 6, 2024
All this was surrounded by a white picket fence built so sturdily that the Chateau Martinez was the only place in town which had never been desecrated by Pacheco’s pig.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
A US Supreme Court decision has ruled that burning the US national flag is protected under the First Amendment, invalidating state laws against desecrating the Stars and Stripes.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
Castillo, 43, was sentenced to nine years for contempt, assault, public disorder and desecrating national symbols.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026
That finding strengthened the case against the cemetery workers, who were ultimately convicted in 2015 of desecrating human remains.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 6, 2026
But just know you’re desecrating a sacred space.
From Salon ● Jan. 11, 2026
Below and ahead of them, lit up like a ghastly funfair, was a rectangle of stark, garish white light desecrating an otherwise blacked-out landscape.
From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein
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.
