profanation

American  

[prof-uh-ney-shuhn] / ˌprɒf əˈneɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act of profaning; desecration; defilement; debasement.

   Synonyms:

   blasphemy, sacrilege

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Etymology

Origin of profanation

First recorded in 1545–55; from Late Latin profānātiōn- (stem of profānātiō “desecration”), equivalent to Latin profānāt(us) (past participle of profānāre “to desecrate”) + -iōn- noun suffix; replacing prophanation, from Middle French, from Medieval Latin prophānātiō, for Late Latin profānātiō, as above; profane, -ion

Explanation

Profanation is the act of saying or doing something terribly offensive or blasphemous. Swearing in a mosque would definitely be considered profanation by your deeply religious family. When someone violates anything that's considered to be sacred, that's profanation — it's no wonder that you'll most often find this word in a religious context. Disrespecting someone's deeply held religious beliefs is one kind of profanation. Littering at a holy site is another. The words profanation, profanity, and profane all come from the Latin root profanus, "unholy."

Example Sentences

“This is a profanation, an imitation of shooting, an imitation of exercises, an imitation of a formation,” Leshkov raged.

From Washington Post • Nov. 20, 2022

“The position of the Catholic Church on the right to life is unchanged; obscenities, violence and disrupting services as well as profanation are not the right method of action,” Gadecki said in a statement.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 25, 2020

So the point of Cattelan’s facility is not its profanation of the art museum with base human functions.

From The Guardian • Apr. 20, 2016

Since its founding in the mid-1970s, the Wooster Group has been performing acts of blessed profanation on sacred texts, including Chekhov’s “Three Sisters,” Eugene O’Neill’s “The Emperor Jones” and Racine’s “Phèdre.”

From New York Times • Apr. 7, 2015

Like Holmes, Geological Survey geologist W J. McGee believed it was his duty to protect the temple of Science from profanation by incompetent and overimaginative amateurs.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann