DEFILE Synonyms: 132 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the verb 'defile' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of defile are contaminate , pollute , and taint . While all these words mean "to make impure or unclean," defile implies befouling of what could or should have been kept clean and pure or held sacred and commonly suggests violation or desecration. // defile a hero's memory with slanderous innuendo

Q: When is 'contaminate' a more appropriate choice than 'defile'?

The meanings of contaminate and defile largely overlap; however, contaminate implies intrusion of or contact with dirt or foulness from an outside source. // water contaminated by industrial wastes

Q: When is it sensible to use 'pollute' instead of 'defile'?

While in some cases nearly identical to defile , pollute , sometimes interchangeable with contaminate , distinctively may imply that the process which begins with contamination is complete and that what was pure or clean has been made foul, poisoned, or filthy. // the polluted waters of the river

Q: When could 'taint' be used to replace 'defile'?

The synonyms taint and defile are sometimes interchangeable, but taint stresses the loss of purity or cleanliness that follows contamination. // tainted meat // a politician's tainted reputation

defile 1 of 2

noun

di-ˈfī(-ə)l

Definition of defile

as in canyon

a narrow opening between hillsides or mountains that can be used for passage the cattle, once they were cornered in the defile, were quickly rounded up

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defile

2 of 2

verb

di-ˈfī(-ə)l

as in to pollute

to make unfit for use by the addition of something harmful or undesirable supplies of meat that had been defiled by maggots

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to violate

to treat (a sacred place or object) shamefully or with great disrespect art conservators were careful not to do anything that might defile the holy relic

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb defile contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of defile are contaminate, pollute, and taint. While all these words mean "to make impure or unclean," defile implies befouling of what could or should have been kept clean and pure or held sacred and commonly suggests violation or desecration.

defile a hero's memory with slanderous innuendo

When is contaminate a more appropriate choice than defile?

The meanings of contaminate and defile largely overlap; however, contaminate implies intrusion of or contact with dirt or foulness from an outside source.

water contaminated by industrial wastes

When is it sensible to use pollute instead of defile?

While in some cases nearly identical to defile, pollute, sometimes interchangeable with contaminate, distinctively may imply that the process which begins with contamination is complete and that what was pure or clean has been made foul, poisoned, or filthy.

the polluted waters of the river

When could taint be used to replace defile?

The synonyms taint and defile are sometimes interchangeable, but taint stresses the loss of purity or cleanliness that follows contamination.

tainted meat

a politician's tainted reputation

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of defile

Noun

In the right of the picture, a platoon of soldiers, heavily armed and preceded by a pair of gun carriages, tramp through a defile. — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2025 Navarette Romero, a Honduran national, was found with some of the victim's belongings, the chief said, and he was charged with abduction with intent to defile and rape. — Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2024

Verb

The Tesla’s desecration follows a vandalism spree in Queens that saw religious centers, homes and vehicles defiled with swastikas and antisemitic slogans last month. — Barry Williams, New York Daily News, 26 June 2026 This is a constitutional failure by Congress defiling the Constitution, enabled by a pliable federal judiciary bastardizing the Constitution, and the presidency ignoring the Constitution. — Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 5 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for defile

Recent Examples of Synonyms for defile

Noun

When the sun goes down, the wind picks up in central New Mexico, whipping through arid canyons with a ghostly howl that for centuries, locals have likened to the wails of the folkloric ghost La Llorona.

— Sara Herschander, Vox, 22 Oct. 2026
There is a pleasant little trail from the test plot that goes through the canyon.

— Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of canyon

Verb

When those waters are polluted, the damage is not confined to a technical measurement in a permit or a line on a monitoring report.

— Dana Adkins, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026
Norway rats can transmit diseases to humans and other animals, damage property, and pollute food.

— Blythe Copeland, Martha Stewart, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of pollute

Verb

Meta has long been criticized for its data privacy practices, and on Wednesday, a New Mexico judge ordered the company to pay $25 billion for violating the state’s consumer protection laws.

— Andrew R. Chow, Time, 22 Oct. 2026
The company had previously said a penalty in the billions of dollars risked violating its constitutional rights to due process and protection from excessive fines.

— Reuters, NBC news, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of violate

Noun

The Ivy League college where fraternities throw parties in towering mansions and students weave between deep gorges on their way to class is being rocked over the handling of rape allegations from 2024.

— Grey Battle, Washington Post, 11 Oct. 2026
Within the town, the Victoria Falls Hotel is an old favorite, with 149 rooms and dramatic views of the rocky gorge (doubles from $760).

— Charukesi Ramadurai, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of gorge

Verb

Its death, poisoned by anti-freeze in April 2020 during Spain’s COVID confinement, sparks on screen and real-life the first criminal investigation in Spain and Europe for an animal’s slaughter.

— John Hopewell, Variety, 23 Oct. 2026
Above all, Flanagan understands how even a mother’s love can be poisoned by fear when Carrie uses her newfound powers to wrest control of the household from her mother.

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of poison

Verb

The next day, February 9th, Nakira was charged with first-degree murder, endangering the welfare of a child, desecrating human remains, and tampering with physical evidence.

— Anja Aronowsky Cronberg, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2026
The judge is desecrating the memory of the Great Charlie Kirk, while taking forever to ask questions that people already know the answer to.

— Adam Sabes , Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of desecrate

Noun

On the way back, a vehicle in the convoy veered off the road and fell into a ravine.

— ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
Six schoolboys were left dangling roughly 900 feet above a ravine after a cable snapped, setting off a high-stakes rescue that demanded nerves of steel.

— Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of ravine

Noun

The quicker melting changes the usual flow of water through valleys and into the lake, compounding the challenges.

— Silvia Console Battilana, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026
With panoramic views of the city and valley as a backdrop, days at Resorts World can take any number of directions.

— Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of valley

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“Defile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defile. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of defile

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