defile

13 synonyms and 5 antonyms for defile, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Verb — To make something dirty, corrupt, or impure, often something considered sacred or pure.

Synonyms

Everyday swaps

Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.

cloud

Less common

Still standard English, but they carry more weight.

corrupt foul stain gorge

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

pollute contaminate desecrate sully taint maculate befoul tarnish

Synonyms by Meaning

1. verb

To make something dirty, corrupt, or impure, often something considered sacred or pure.

“Vandals defiled the ancient temple with spray paint.”

pollute contaminate corrupt desecrate sully taint foul maculate stain cloud befoul tarnish

Opposites

consecrate clean purify cleanse sanctify

2. noun

A narrow gorge or pass, originally one narrow enough for soldiers to march through only in single file.

“The convoy moved slowly through a rocky defile in the mountains.”

gorge

How to use defile

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

defile a shrine defile someone's honor march through a defile

Etymology

The verb comes from Middle English defilen, tangled up with an older word defoulen ("to trample, oppress"), itself from Old French defouler ("to trample, crush"). The noun sense (a narrow pass) comes separately from French défiler, "to march in file."

Full origin of defile →

Frequently asked questions

What does “defile” mean?

The word “defile” means to make something dirty, corrupt, or impure, often something considered sacred or pure. In plain terms, to spoil or corrupt something pure — or, as a noun, a narrow passage soldiers must cross single file.

How do you pronounce “defile”?

“Defile” is pronounced dih-FYL (/dəˈfaɪl/ in IPA).

How do you use “defile” in a sentence?

Here is “defile” used in a sentence: “Vandals defiled the ancient temple with spray paint.”

What part of speech is “defile”?

Depending on how it is used, “defile” can be a verb and a noun.

Where does the word “defile” come from?

The word “defile” comes from Old French.

How many meanings does “defile” have?

“Defile” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: to make something dirty, corrupt, or impure, often something considered sacred or pure.

People also searched

clean cloud corrupt foul stain gorge cleanse purify maculate pollute consecrate taint

Nearby words

← Back to the full definition of defile