Meaning & use
defiler
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Meanings
nouncountableformal
A person who makes something pure, holy, or beautiful dirty or morally bad.
Grammar: Countable: use 'a defiler' or 'defilers'; often followed by 'of' plus the thing harmed.
Patterns
- a defiler of something
- the defilers of something
The old story calls him a defiler of sacred ground.
Protesters painted the company as a defiler of the river they had once protected.
nouncountableformaldisapproving
Someone who treats something worthy of respect as if it were worthless or shameful.
Grammar: Countable noun; usually appears with 'of' to name what is being treated with disrespect.
Patterns
- a defiler of something
Critics described the writer as a defiler of the nation's proudest traditions.
She was branded a defiler of the memory of those who had died.
Word forms
| plural | defilers |
|---|
Common combinations
- a defiler of sacred sites
- Graffiti artists were condemned as defilers of sacred sites.
- a defiler of nature
- The novel portrays the factory owner as a defiler of nature.
- a defiler of tradition
- He was attacked in the press as a defiler of tradition.
- brand someone a defiler
- The newspaper branded him a defiler of the faith.
Synonyms and how they differ
- desecrator
- Desecrator is used almost only for religious or holy places, while defiler can also describe moral or environmental harm.
- polluter
- Polluter is the plain, factual word for someone who makes air, water, or land dirty; defiler is more dramatic and moral.
- violator
- Violator suggests breaking a rule or law, whereas defiler suggests staining something that people honor.
Opposites
Word family
- defile verb
- to make something holy, pure, or beautiful dirty or impure
- defilement noun
- the state of being made dirty or morally impure
Commonly confused: defiler or defendant?
defiler vs defendant
Defendant is a person accused in a court case; defiler means someone who ruins or pollutes something.
Practice
The villagers saw the logging company as a ___ of the forest they worshipped.
Choose one answer.
'A defiler of the forest' is correct because a countable noun is needed after 'a' for the person. 'Defile' is a verb, 'defilement' is an abstract noun, and 'defiling' is a participle, so none fits after 'a' here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “defiler”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.