profanation
Other forms: profanations
Profanation is the act of saying or doing something terribly offensive or blasphemous. Swearing in a mosque would definitely be considered profanation by your deeply religious family.
When someone violates anything that's considered to be sacred, that's profanation — it's no wonder that you'll most often find this word in a religious context. Disrespecting someone's deeply held religious beliefs is one kind of profanation. Littering at a holy site is another. The words profanation, profanity, and profane all come from the Latin root profanus, "unholy."
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blasphemous behavior; the act of depriving something of its sacred charactersynonyms: blasphemy, desecration, sacrilege
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degradation of something worthy of respect; cheapening
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Vocabulary lists containing profanation
After a shipwreck separates her from her twin brother, Viola disguises herself as a man so she can pass safely through the land of Illyria. There she befriends Duke Orsino and tries to help him win the affections of Countess Olivia. Read the full text here.
The speaker in Donne’s valediction (a speech or piece of writing that bids farewell) prepares to depart from his beloved but argues that physical distance won’t diminish their powerful connection. Read the complete text here. Here are links to our lists for other poems by John Donne: "The Canonization", "The Flea", "Song: Go and catch a falling star", "Death, be not proud", "The Sun Rising"
This thematic list focuses on love and marriage in Oscar Wilde's macabre story of a man who trades his soul for eternal youth and beauty. For general lists for the novel, click the links below. Here are links to our thematic lists for the novel: Preface-Chapter 4, Chapters 5-8, Chapters 9-12, Chapters 13-16, Chapters 17-20 Here are links to our general lists for the novel: Chapters 1-2, Chapters 3-4, Chapters 5-8, Chapters 9-11, Chapters 12-20