desecrate
/ˈdesɪkreɪt/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈdesɪkreɪt/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈde-si-ˌkrāt/ (ame, mw)
desecrate — verb
- desecratepresent simple I / you / we / they
- desecrateshe / she / it
- desecratedpast simple
- desecrating-ing form
1. to deliberately damage, harm, or show disrespect toward something that people co
to deliberately damage, harm, or show disrespect toward something that people consider sacred or deeply important, especially a religious building, burial site, or national symbol
Local vandals desecrated the war memorial by painting offensive slogans on it last night.
collocation: desecrate + war memorial / monument
The ancient chapel was desecrated when soldiers used it as a stable during the siege.
passive: was desecrated when [event]
Kim warned that a hotel on the burial ground would desecrate land sacred to the tribe.
Olu's grandmother wept when she saw how strangers had desecrated the family graves.
- profane
focuses on treating holy things with contempt or irreverence, not necessarily causing physical damage
- defile
broader — can mean making something unclean or spoiling its purity, not limited to religious contexts
- violate
much broader — means to break a rule or intrude upon something; desecrate is specifically about sacred things
- consecrate
to make something holy, the opposite of desecrate
- sanctify
to set apart as sacred; to treat with the respect that desecrate violates
- venerate
to show deep respect for something sacred, the positive counterpart
文法句型
desecrate + noun phrase (sacred place / object / site)
用法筆記
The object of desecrate is always something considered holy or of great importance to a community — religious sites, cemeteries, national symbols, or revered objects. It is rarely used for ordinary places or everyday items. Frequently used in passive constructions when the focus is on the damaged sacred thing rather than the perpetrator.