defiled 1 of 2

adjective

as in contaminated

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defiled

2 of 2

verb

past tense of defile
1
as in polluted
to make unfit for use by the addition of something harmful or undesirable supplies of meat that had been defiled by maggots

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in violated
to treat (a sacred place or object) shamefully or with great disrespect art conservators were careful not to do anything that might defile the holy relic

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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 defiled
Verb
The Tesla’s desecration follows a vandalism spree in Queens that saw religious centers, homes and vehicles defiled with swastikas and antisemitic slogans last month. — Barry Williams, New York Daily News, 26 June 2026 And earlier this month, Russia prompted outrage by installing an exhibit that some commentators said defiled the Katyn Memorial, the site of the mass execution of Polish POWs by the Soviets in 1940. — Nathan Hodge, CNN Money, 26 Apr. 2026 Among the false claims Energy Transfer alleged Greenpeace had spread was that the energy company defiled Native American cultural boundaries. — Mark Curriden, Dallas Morning News, 13 Mar. 2026 Militia members had ransacked and defiled the house. — Yousra Elbagir, Time, 25 Feb. 2026 As a state legislator, Lincoln stood against slave catchers backed by the federal government who defiled our state’s laws and terrorized our most vulnerable. — Chicago Tribune, 16 Feb. 2026 The work of love, and the question of what happens when love is absent or defiled, became a central preoccupation. — Literary Hub, 15 Jan. 2026 Their beautiful sanctuary has been defiled, and Emily is fired. — Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 18 Dec. 2025 After occupying forces defiled the temple, a small army led by Judah the Maccabee liberated the sanctuary. — Jose R. Gonzalez, AZCentral.com, 10 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defiled
  1. contaminated
  2. polluted
  3. violated
  4. tainted
  5. poisoned
  6. desecrated
  7. impure
  8. unclean
Adjective
  • Health authorities later traced the outbreak to contaminated lettuce supplied to the fast-food restaurant by Taylor Farms de Mexico.
    — James Cirrone, FOXNews.com, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Massachusetts has seen more than 100 cyclospora cases this summer, the state Department of Public Health said Wednesday, with some illnesses apparently linked to contaminated lettuce.
    — Neal Riley, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of contaminated
Verb
  • Greenpeace Germany warned that oil has already polluted stretches of coastline and damaged the area's fragile ecosystem.
    — Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Stretches of coastline and the area’s sensitive marine ecosystem have been polluted and damaged.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of polluted
Verb
  • The bill would give the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission the power to fine influencers and committees if they are found to have violated the law, allowing the commission to bypass the court process.
    — Sophie Austin, Fortune, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Religious speakers allege their First Amendment rights were violated when law enforcement intercepted their public expression of beliefs.
    — Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of violated
Adjective
  • Diarrhea has been a headline story in the United States this summer, with thousands of cases of explosive diarrhea traced to Cyclospora from tainted lettuce –- and the first two deaths from the outbreak now confirmed in Michigan.
    — Joseph Kim, NPR, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Surveys of tainted products have also repeatedly found more than one undeclared active ingredient in the same capsule.
    — Jesse M. Pines, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of tainted
Verb
  • The types of crimes weren’t spelled out, but imagine that a President, say, poisoned his estranged spouse and concealed the crime until after leaving the White House.
    — Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026
  • In addition to the 10 discovered last weekend, two trees were found poisoned in late July and four more in May, Raymore said.
    — Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of poisoned
Verb
  • The measure adds new grounds to Argentina’s immigration law, allowing authorities to bar, deport and revoke visas of people found to have promoted hatred against Argentines in spoken or written statements or who have desecrated national symbols.
    — Isabel Debre, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026
  • Those are the kinds of things that can't be broken into or taken away or desecrated.
    — Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 6 June 2026
Definition of desecrated
Adjective
  • Wise’s wistful songwriting is retained, but completely missing is his intentionally impure palette.
    — Billie Bugara, Pitchfork, 7 Mar. 2026
  • Kanto practitioners believe that women cannot participate because, according to Japan's Shinto religion, women's blood from menstruation and childbirth is considered impure for the purpose of religious rituals.
    — Anthony Kuhn, NPR, 3 Nov. 2025
Definition of impure
Adjective
  • Travelers may encounter issues like unclean accommodations and higher flight cancellation rates.
    — Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Multiple surfaces were unclean with excess grease, debris and residue, including floors throughout the facility, ventilation hood filters and on the stove range top.
    — Vince Basada August 7, Sacbee.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of unclean

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Cite this Entry

“Defiled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defiled. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

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