Definition

The act of making something dirty or unclean, especially in a moral or spiritual sense.

Example

The defilement of the sacred site caused great outrage among the community.

Conversation

Did you hear about the defilement of that historic site?

Yeah, it’s really sad how people don’t respect these places anymore.

Exactly! It feels like there's so much defilement happening all around us.

I know, and we need to do something to raise awareness about it.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Defilement → It is formed from "defile" (from Old French *defiler*, meaning to make dirty or to pollute) and "-ment" (a suffix indicating the action or result of a verb). The word "defilement" refers to the act or process of making something dirty or impure.

Memory Tip

Think of the action of making something dirty ('defile') and the result of that action ('-ment'). This helps you remember that 'defilement' means the act of making something unclean.

Visually Confused Words