profanation

[ prof-uh-ney-shuhn ]

/ ˌprɒf əˈneɪ ʃən /

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noun

the act of profaning; desecration; defilement; debasement.

Nearby words

proestrus, prof, prof., prof. eng., profamily, profanation, profanatory, profane, profanely, profanity, profascist

Origin of profanation

1545–55; < Late Latin profānātiōn- (stem of profānātiō) desecration, equivalent to Latin profānāt(us) (past participle of profānāre to profane) + -iōn- -ion; replacing prophanation < Middle French < Medieval Latin prophānātiō, for Late Latin profānātiō, as above

SYNONYMS FOR profanation

sacrilege, blasphemy.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR profanation ON THESAURUS.COM

Examples from the Web for profanation

To sanctify the day at church, and to trifle it away out of church, is profanation, and vitiates all.
The Works of William Cowper|William Cowper
Haggerstone and he were intimates were it not a profanation of the word, we should say friends.
The Daltons, Volume I (of II)|Charles James Lever
But in this quiet place, upon this quiet night, and in the colonel's mood, it seemed like profanation.
The Colonel's Dream|Charles W. Chesnutt
It was in vain that the Muftis interposed, reprobating so great a profanation, and uttering warnings as to its consequences.
The International Weekly Miscellany, Volume I. No. 9.|Various

It seemed to Miss Rothermel profanation to have her brother's name spoken by this woman.
Missy|Miriam Coles Harris