as in atheistical
not showing proper reverence for the holy or sacred
a sacrilegious, obscene joke—and told in church at that!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sacrilegious
Drinking a Bloody Mary at night just feels wrong and confusing, sacrilegious even, which is hilarious because everything else goes.
—
Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 7 Feb. 2025
Loading your audio article SAN FRANCISCO — NBA commissioner Adam Silver understandably defended mounting criticism of the 3-point shot, and saying anything else would have been sacrilegious in the house Steph Curry built with his unparalleled 3-point prowess.
—Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 15 Feb. 2025
Some fans will think supporting two different teams, let alone rivals, is sacrilegious.
—Charlotte Harpur, The Athletic, 19 Jan. 2025
But the French debate over whether to show images of Muhammad, which many Muslims view as sacrilegious, is still being waged today.
—Colette Davidson, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sacrilegious
Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 7 Feb. 2025
Loading your audio article SAN FRANCISCO — NBA commissioner Adam Silver understandably defended mounting criticism of the 3-point shot, and saying anything else would have been sacrilegious in the house Steph Curry built with his unparalleled 3-point prowess.
—Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 15 Feb. 2025
Some fans will think supporting two different teams, let alone rivals, is sacrilegious.
—Charlotte Harpur, The Athletic, 19 Jan. 2025
But the French debate over whether to show images of Muhammad, which many Muslims view as sacrilegious, is still being waged today.
—Colette Davidson, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sacrilegious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sacrilegious
Adjective
-
For me, being a man controlled by God, things that are blasphemous always alert me.—
Angel Diaz,
Billboard,
2 May 2025
-
Many Muslims found some of the depictions offensive and even blasphemous.—
Lola Fadulu,
New York Times,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The only true dictionary is the lost one, the dictionary of the language that perished when the impious tower was built: the original language, God’s language.—
Mariana Dimópulos,
Harpers Magazine,
26 Mar. 2025
-
This game must have seemed profane to the Greeks, or even impious.—
Simone Weil,
Harper's Magazine,
2 July 2024
Adjective
-
In a special look behind the scenes, Variety has exclusively obtained the hour-long final table read for the irreverent Netflix show created by Andrew Goldberg, Nick Kroll, Mark Levin, and Jennifer Flackett.—
Katcy Stephan,
Variety,
29 May 2025
-
And as the event’s official closer — the AMAs’ afterparty DJ — her irreverent look fit the bill.—
Jacqui Palumbo,
CNN Money,
27 May 2025
Adjective
-
The rapture once preached and beckoned in churches has been repackaged for secular times: In place of souls ascending to heaven, there are minds preserved digitally—or even bodies kept alive—for eternity.—
John Kaag,
The Atlantic,
28 May 2025
-
The Supreme Court has held that states may require their public schools be secular.—
Zach Schonfeld,
The Hill,
25 May 2025
Adjective
-
This attempt to turn back the clock included the purging of Christian texts from schools, the conversion of Christian churches into pagan temples, and religious persecution as it had been practiced in centuries past.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
22 Feb. 2025
-
As de Kort tells Live Science, these treasures were buried in several deposits that might have constituted offerings to a pagan god—possibly Wodan, the Germanic persona of the Norse god Odin.—
Sonja Anderson,
Smithsonian Magazine,
12 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sacrilegious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sacrilegious. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share