Skip to main content
defilement

defilement

23 9.1
A place made dirty or impure by harmful substances
  • noun
  • /dɪˈfaɪlmənt/
translation icon : contaminación
  • The factory's waste caused the defilement of the local river, harming both wildlife and community health.

And these guys just flip the script and their highest sacrament is the defilement or destruction of innocence.

Examples

  • Throughout God Is Holy and This Great House in particular, the terms Shenoute uses to describe the effects of sin are "pollution," "defilement," "uncleanness," and "corruption."

    Academic text (2004)
  • It suggested a defilement so complete, so permanent, that nothing could reverse it.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • To the defilement of Earth and the corruption of its people.

  • We are people who gave ourselves to defilement for the commission of every unclean act.

    Academic text (2004)
  • The defilement of bodies is nothing new, and even in ancient Hawaii, there are some gruesome examples.

    Academic text (2011)
  • And every defilement and every wickedness exists in disobedience.

    Academic text (2004)
  • Meditation is a gentle way of conquering the defilements that pollute the mind.

    Academic text (2007)
  • "Unnatural" acts are associated with and even produce defilement, uncleanness, and impurities; they pollute the corporate monastic body.

    Academic text (2004)
  • Littering is a clear example of defilement, as it pollutes the environment and makes it unclean.

  • Cultural defilement can occur when traditions are disrespected or altered by outside influences.

Synonyms

pollution
vsdefilement
255 2.7

Harmful substances in the air, water, or soil that damage health and nature

is narrower, stressing being made unclean by contact rather than environmental harm
filth
vsdefilement
46 2.0

Dirt and disgusting things that make a place very dirty

is about becoming unclean because of contact with a contaminating source
desecration
vsdefilement
21 8.9

An action that shows violent disrespect to a holy place or object

is about becoming unclean generally, not specifically harming something sacred
nastiness
vsdefilement
2 4.9

A very dirty state that smells bad and disgusts people

is concerned with being made unclean through contact with contaminating matter
filthiness
vsdefilement
1 4.2

A very dirty state with waste and rubbish

emphasizes contamination by a specific contaminant rather than general uncleanliness
befoulment
vsdefilement
9.9

A state of being made dirty, often of water or land

is used when the unclean state is judged as caused by something contaminating
impureness
vsdefilement
6.9

A state when something has dirty or unwanted things in it

focuses specifically on contamination by contact rather than general impurity

Antonyms

25 3.1

The state of having no dirt or other things mixed in

Compounds

To act or think in ways that make you feel worthless and ashamed

How Impure

corruption
36 4.6
defilement
23 9.1
pollution
255 2.7
contamination
  • Specialized
76 4.8
soiling
  • NSFW
1 3.9
purity
  • Formal
34 3.9

Surface Forms

defilement singular
defilements plural

Morphology

defilement = defile (transparent) = defile + ment

Formed by the verb 'defile' plus the noun-forming suffix '-ment'; the meaning 'the state or result of being defiled' is a direct derivation.

Etymology

Defilement is a helpful way to remember the word: think of de- as 'away' and the rest as like filth 'dirt'. So defilement is the act of making a place or thing dirty or unclean.