defiled

American  

[dih-fahyld] / dɪˈfaɪld /

adjective

1. made foul, dirty, or unclean; polluted or tainted.

   Morally, those with defiled consciences are flying blind.

2. made impure for ceremonial or ritual use; desecrated.

   To the left is a defiled shrine, with statues toppled and the symbol of an unrecognizable god destroyed.

3. sullied, as a person’s reputation.

   The lawyer added to his defiled reputation the other day by getting into a fistfight with a congressman.

4. Archaic. deprived of one’s virginity or having one’s chastity violated.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of defile.

Other Word Forms

• undefiled adjective

Etymology

Origin of defiled

defile ¹ ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

In his resignation letter, he said the CCC had been "defiled", accusing the ruling Zanu-PF party of being behind the move - allegations it denied.

From BBC

The Seleucids captured the holy Temple of Jerusalem and defiled it by erecting an altar to the Greek god Zeus inside.

From National Geographic

“In death, these men and women deserved to be treated with respect and dignity. Instead, they were defiled,” Andrew Swan, an attorney who will be representing families, said in a statement.

From Seattle Times

During Roof's trial the prosecution made sure to remind the jury that he had defiled a famous church.

From Salon

The long-awaited move from the Environmental Protection Agency is meant to spark the cleanup of scores of sites defiled by industrial compounds and make the public more aware of their presence.

From Washington Post