What is another word for defile?
Synonyms for defile
dɪˈfaɪl, ˈdi faɪlde·file
This thesaurus page includes all potential synonyms, words with the same meaning and similar terms for the word defile.
English Synonyms and Antonyms
defile
The hand may be defiled by a touch of pitch; swine that have been wallowing in the mud are befouled. Contaminate and infect refer to something evil that deeply pervades and permeates, as the human body or mind. Pollute is used chiefly of liquids; as, water polluted with sewage. Tainted meat is repulsive; infected meat contains germs of disease. A soiled garment may be cleansed by washing; a spoiled garment is beyond cleansing or repair. Bright metal is tarnished by exposure; a fair sheet is sullied by a dirty hand. In figurative use, defile may be used merely in the ceremonial sense; "they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled," John xviii, 28; contaminate refers to deep spiritual injury. Pollute has also a reference to sacrilege; as, to pollute a sanctuary, an altar, or an ordinance. The innocent are often contaminated by association with the wicked; the vicious are more and more corrupted by their own excesses. We speak of a vitiated taste or style; fraud vitiates a title or a contract.
Synonyms:
befoul, contaminate, corrupt, infect, pollute, soil, spoil, stain, sully, taint, tarnish, vitiateAntonyms:
clean, cleanse, disinfect, hallow, purify, sanctify, washPreposition:
The temple was defiled with blood; defiled by sacrilegious deeds.
Princeton's WordNet
defile, gorgenoun
a narrow pass (especially one between mountains)
Synonyms:
gullet, gorge, oesophagus, esophagusdefile, sully, corrupt, taint, cloudverb
place under suspicion or cast doubt upon
"sully someone's reputation"
Synonyms:
subvert, besmirch, fog, calumniate, foul, infect, overcast, becloud, befoul, maculate, slander, demoralise, dapple, cloud, misdirect, debase, pervert, demoralize, sully, defame, asperse, vitiate, profane, obscure, mist, stain, haze over, taint, smear, denigrate, deprave, mottle, tarnish, buy, befog, grease one's palms, smirch, bribe, debauch, spoil, corrupt, obnubilatetarnish, stain, maculate, sully, defileverb
make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically
"The silver was tarnished by the long exposure to the air"; "Her reputation was sullied after the affair with a married man"
Synonyms:
calumniate, maculate, asperse, tarnish, smear, denigrate, slander, corrupt, sully, stain, besmirch, smirch, defame, foul, taint, cloud, befoulfoul, befoul, defile, maculateverb
spot, stain, or pollute
"The townspeople defiled the river by emptying raw sewage into it"
Synonyms:
choke off, maculate, tarnish, foul, clog up, congest, contaminate, clog, pollute, sully, stain, choke, corrupt, taint, cloud, back up, befoul
Dictionary of English Synonymes
Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated Words
Usage in printed sourcesFrom:
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Words popularity by usage frequency
ranking | word | |
---|---|---|
#130 | buy | |
#3202 | soil | |
#5621 | cloud | |
#8103 | fog | |
#9718 | foul | |
#11969 | corrupt | |
#12091 | mist | |
#12545 | stain | |
#13380 | obscure | |
#17801 | gorge | |
#19046 | overcast | |
#19395 | infect | |
#21204 | choke | |
#21436 | spoil | |
#22663 | smear | |
#30189 | clog | |
#30485 | esophagus | |
#32543 | profane | |
#33274 | slander | |
#33967 | bribe | |
#34734 | pervert | |
#41477 | sully | |
#46613 | taint | |
#48868 | contaminate | |
#49554 | pollute | |
#51579 | subvert | |
#51950 | tarnish | |
#73765 | defame | |
#78097 | defile | |
#81129 | gullet | |
#86920 | denigrate | |
#88592 | oesophagus | |
#121624 | vitiate | |
#121706 | mottle | |
#130992 | dapple | |
#162847 | debase | |
#163167 | demoralize | |
#212610 | debauch | |
#225345 | besmirch | |
#232391 | misdirect | |
#299464 | congest |
How to use defile in a sentence?
I don't want fewer monuments, i want more monuments erected. But don't defile the ones that exist -- we are the sum total of all the history, not just the fun parts.
I want more monuments erected. But don't defile the ones that exist -- we are the sum total of all the history, not just the fun parts. people down the years will be looking at the statue and at his history and what he did.
We have seen growing evidence that the dangers to our country can do not only across borders, but from violence that gathers within. There is little cultural overlap between violent extremists abroad and violent extremists at home. But there is disdainful pluralism in their disregard for human life, in their determination to defile national symbols. They are children of the same foul spirit and it is our continuing duty to confront them.
Vermont was the first State in the nation to outlaw slavery. It’s already plainly in our Constitution that slavery is not allowed in our state, we have so many more important things to do [than] to defile our old important documents to change words that have already been clearly written. There is not one sane person that could so severely misinterpret the words of our constitution to make it read that Vermonters support slavery in any form. If it were to pass, it would not change anything other than a historic document that was so thoughtfully written over two hundred years ago.
There is little cultural overlap between violent extremists abroad and violent extremists at home, but in their disdain for pluralism, in their disregard for human life, in their determination to defile national symbols, they are children of the same foul spirit.
Translations for defile
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- لوثArabic
- дефилирам, опетнявам, осквернявамBulgarian
- embrutar, pol·luir, contaminarCatalan, Valencian
- Hohlweg, verunreinigen, EngpassGerman
- paso, desfiladero, ensuciar, desfilar, angostura, impurificar, desfile, contaminar, estrechoSpanish
- tahrata, sola, jonoFinnish
- déflorer, défilé, souiller, défilerFrench
- अपवित्र करनाHindi
- לְטַמֵאHebrew
- 汚れたJapanese
- inquinōLatin
- engte, defilé, bevuilenDutch
- conspurcarPortuguese
- spurcaRomanian
- оскверня́ть, тесни́на, мара́ть, дефиле́, [[у́зкий]] [[прохо́д]], загрязня́ть, развраща́ть, дефилировать, па́чкать, растлева́ть, дефилеRussian
- defilera, orenaSwedish
Get even more translations for defile »
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"defile." Synonyms.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 17 Feb. 2025. <https://www.synonyms.com/synonym/defile>.
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