as in atheistical
not showing proper reverence for the holy or sacred
a sacrilegious, obscene joke—and told in church at that!
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Recent Examples of sacrilegious
The solution, too good to spoil here, involves a sacrilegious yet principled breach of a basic rule—and a tweak to a pitcher’s very identity.
—
Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 7 Mar. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for sacrilegious
Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 7 Mar. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for sacrilegious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sacrilegious
Adjective
-
In Europe, the painting was received as a blasphemous shock.—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
11 July 2025
-
There’s a quiet and, some might argue, blasphemous revolution happening.—
Trinity Francis,
Forbes.com,
22 May 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
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This is where Dan Da Dan does not care about offending anyone, as its approach to these matters is entirely irreverent and very funny.—
Ollie Barder,
Forbes.com,
13 July 2025
-
And there's something ironic about such a proudly nasty and irreverent series having a place in the hallowed halls of television history.—
Dennis Perkins,
EW.com,
10 July 2025
Adjective
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Despite teaching secular subjects, the court deemed his role sufficiently religious to fall under the ministerial exception, barring his discrimination claim under the 1964 Civil Rights Act.—
A.J. Schumann,
Sun Sentinel,
6 July 2025
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The bill gives school districts the option to employ or bring in volunteer chaplains, who can provide either secular advice or religious advice ― the latter, only if the students and parents consent.—
Kayla Dwyer,
IndyStar,
2 July 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
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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 19 Jul. 2025.
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