Meaning & use
blasphemer
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Meanings
nouncountabledisapproving
A person who speaks about God, a religion, or sacred things with contempt or disrespect.
Grammar: Takes an or the before it: a blasphemer; plural is blasphemers.
Patterns
- call someone a blasphemer
- accuse someone of being a blasphemer
- a self-proclaimed blasphemer
The reformer was denounced as a blasphemer by the temple leaders.
She rejected the label of blasphemer and said her questions were sincere.
In the story, the crowd shouts that the stranger is a blasphemer.
nouncountablelegalold-fashioned
In older legal systems, a person formally accused or punished for insulting religion or sacred authority.
Grammar: Used mainly in historical or legal discussion; contrast with the general modern sense of simply speaking disrespectfully.
Patterns
- a convicted blasphemer
- try someone as a blasphemer
- laws against blasphemers
The archive records a convicted blasphemer who was fined rather than imprisoned.
Under the old code, a repeated blasphemer could face exile.
Historians debate whether the defendant was truly a blasphemer or a political critic.
Word forms
| plural | blasphemers |
|---|
Common combinations
- accused blasphemer
- The accused blasphemer was brought before the council.
- self-proclaimed blasphemer
- A self-proclaimed blasphemer may enjoy shocking polite society.
- label someone a blasphemer
- Critics tried to label the artist a blasphemer after the exhibition.
- punish a blasphemer
- The law no longer seeks to punish a blasphemer.
Synonyms and how they differ
- heretic
- A heretic rejects accepted religious doctrine; a blasphemer more directly insults the sacred.
- iconoclast
- An iconoclast attacks cherished beliefs or institutions and is broader, not limited to religion.
- skeptic
- A skeptic merely doubts; a blasphemer expresses contempt, which is much stronger.
Opposites
Word family
- blaspheme verb
- to speak irreverently about God or sacred things
- blasphemy noun
- the act or utterance of blaspheming
- blasphemous adjective
- showing contempt for God or sacred things
- blasphemously adverb
- in a blasphemous way
Commonly confused: blasphemer or blasphemy? blasphemer or blasphemous?
blasphemer vs blasphemy
Blasphemy is the act or statement; a blasphemer is the person said to commit it.
blasphemer vs blasphemous
Blasphemous is the adjective; use blasphemer for a person.
Practice
The old court record described the prisoner as a ___ who had insulted the state religion.
Choose one answer.
The blank needs a countable noun for a person after “a,” so “blasphemer” fits. “Blasphemy” names the offense, “blasphemous” is an adjective, and “blaspheme” is a verb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “blasphemer”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.