Deconsecrate
Deconsecrate verb - To remove the sacred qualities or status of.
Usage example: hoping to raise much-needed funds, the church elders deconsecrated the 18th-century silver chalice and consigned it to a high-end auction house
Defile and deconsecrate are semantically related. In some cases you can use "Defile" instead a verb "Deconsecrate".
Defile
Defile verb - To treat (a sacred place or object) shamefully or with great disrespect.
Usage example: art conservators were careful not to do anything that might defile the holy relic
Deconsecrate and defile are semantically related. You can use "Deconsecrate" instead a verb "Defile".
Cite this Source
Defile and Deconsecrate. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 03, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/deconsecrate/defile
Deconsecrate & Defile. N.p., 2016. Web. 03 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/deconsecrate/defile>.
Defile or Deconsecrate. 2016. Accessed August 03, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/deconsecrate/defile.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "deconsecrate" and "defile" have occurred on timeline