blasphemous

Word family

• blaspheme
  verbC2
• blasphemy
  nounC1
• blasphemer
  nounC2
• blasphemously
  adverbC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe a lack of respect for sacred things, but they differ in target and intensity. 'Blasphemous' is the strongest when the offence is by speech or writing — it suggests insulting God or doctrine directly, as in 'blasphemous remarks'. 'Sacrilegious' shifts the target from words to objects, places, or rites: stealing from a church or eating in a temple is sacrilegious rather than blasphemous. 'Irreverent' is the mildest and broadest — it can describe a comedian who jokes about politicians, royalty, or any respected institution, not only religion. 'Profane' often describes treating something holy as ordinary, without the heated insult of 'blasphemous'; 'profane language' usually just means swearing. So a stand-up comic is irreverent, a thief in a shrine is sacrilegious, and a poem mocking the prophet is blasphemous.

Common collocations

Etymology

The word travels from Greek 'blasphemos', meaning 'evil-speaking' or 'speaking ill of sacred things', through Late Latin 'blasphemus' and Old French 'blasfemos' before settling into English in the 14th century. The Greek root combines a sense of harm with the verb for speaking, so the word has always pointed at speech that injures something held holy. The related noun 'blasphemy' entered English slightly earlier and remains the more common form today.