blasphemous

[blas-fuh-muhs]

adjective

1. uttering, containing, or exhibiting blasphemy; irreverent; profane.

   Synonyms: impious, sacrilegious, iconoclastic, apostate, irreligious

blasphemous

/ ˈblæsfɪməs /

adjective

1. expressing or involving impiousness or gross irreverence towards God, a divine being, or something sacred

Other Word Forms

• blasphemously adverb
• blasphemousness noun
• nonblasphemous adjective
• nonblasphemously adverb
• nonblasphemousness noun
• semiblasphemous adjective
• semiblasphemously adverb
• semiblasphemousness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of blasphemous¹

First recorded in 1525–35; from Late Latin blasphēmus, from Greek blásphēmos “defaming, speaking evil,” equivalent to blá(p)s(is) “harm, evil” ( blab- “harm” + -sis -sis ( def. ); compare bláptein “to harm”) + -phēmos “speaking,” derivative of phḗmē “speech”; -ous ( def. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of blasphemous¹

C15: via Late Latin, from Greek blasphēmos evil-speaking, from blapsis evil + phēmē speech

Example Sentences

Local media quoted eyewitnesses as saying a man jokingly proposed marriage to the vendor, and her response was considered blasphemous by some people in the area.

From BBC

For numerous GOP voters, this suspicion is tied to religious fundamentalism and the very crux of the Scopes trial — that the theory of evolution contradicts the Bible and is, therefore, blasphemous.

From Salon

This feels almost blasphemous to say, in a culture that loves a secret.

From Salon

The protesters were angry over the display a book by the exiled feminist author Taslima Nasrin, who has in the past received death threats from Islamist groups for what they say are her blasphemous writings.

From BBC

While it met acclaim and awards in the Western world, many Muslims considered it blasphemous and some countries banned it.

From BBC

Related Words

• disrespectful 
• insulting 
• profane 
• sacrilegious