DEFILE: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for DEFILE?

Need another word that means the same as “defile”? Find 19 synonyms and 30 related words for “defile” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Defile” are: maculate, stain, sully, tarnish, cloud, corrupt, taint, befoul, foul, spoil, mar, impair, debase, degrade, desecrate, profane, violate, treat sacrilegiously, gorge

Defile as a Noun

Definitions of "Defile" as a noun

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “defile” as a noun can have the following definitions:

• A narrow pass (especially one between mountains.

Synonyms of "Defile" as a noun (1 Word)

gorge

The crop of a hawk.

Defile as a Verb

Definitions of "Defile" as a verb

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “defile” as a verb can have the following definitions:

• Spot, stain, or pollute.
• Place under suspicion or cast doubt upon.
• Desecrate or profane (something sacred.
• Damage the purity or appearance of; mar or spoil.
• Make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically.
• Rape or sexually assault (a woman.

Synonyms of "Defile" as a verb (18 Words)

befoul	Spot, stain, or pollute. The dangers of letting industry befoul the environment.
cloud	Make overcast or cloudy. The stroke clouded memories of her youth.
corrupt	Corrupt morally or by intemperance or sensuality. There is a continuing fear of firms corrupting politicians in the search for contracts.
debase	Corrupt debase or make impure by adding a foreign or inferior substance often by replacing valuable ingredients with inferior ones. War debases people.
degrade	Reduce (someone) to a lower rank, especially as a punishment. He was degraded from his high estate.
desecrate	Treat (a sacred place or thing) with violent disrespect. Many lanes are desecrated with yellow lines.
foul	Hit a foul ball. Make sure that your pet never fouls paths.
impair	Make worse or less effective. A noisy job could permanently impair their hearing.
maculate	Make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically. A dirty white T shirt maculated with barbecue sauce.
mar	Destroy or injure severely. Nothing marred her beauty.
profane	Violate the sacred character of a place or language. Profane the name of God.
spoil	Diminish or destroy the value or quality of. The meat must be eaten before it spoils.
stain	Produce or leave stains. Wood can always be stained to a darker shade.
sully	Damage the purity or integrity of. Sully someone s reputation.
taint	Place under suspicion or cast doubt upon. His administration was tainted by scandal.
tarnish	Make or become less valuable or respected. The silver was tarnished by the long exposure to the air.
treat sacrilegiously	Provide treatment for.
violate	Violate the sacred character of a place or language. Don t violate my garden.

Usage Examples of "Defile" as a verb

• The townspeople defiled the river by emptying raw sewage into it.
• The tomb had been defiled and looted.
• The land was defiled by a previous owner.
• He took her behind the building and defiled her.

Associations of "Defile" (30 Words)

adulteration	The action of making something poorer in quality by the addition of another substance. These adulterations may harm the therapeutic use of the oils.
besmirch	Make (something) dirty or discoloured. He had besmirched the good name of his family.
blot	Dry ink with blotting paper. Mary dug her brush into black paint and blotted out her picture.
cascade	Rush down in big quantities like a cascade. Separation of isotopes by a cascade of processes.
chasm	A deep fissure in the earth’s surface. He was engulfed in a chasm of despair.
contaminate	Make radioactive by adding radioactive material. Don t drink the water it s contaminated.
contaminated	Rendered unwholesome by contaminants and pollution. Had to boil the contaminated water.
contamination	The state of being contaminated. The risk of contamination by dangerous bacteria.
daub	Material used to daub walls. Daub paint onto the wall.
debasement	The action or process of reducing the quality or value of something. The outcome is rot and debasement of the system.
defame	Damage the good reputation of (someone); slander or libel. The journalists have defamed me.
defiled	Morally blemished; stained or impure.
denigrate	Charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone. Doom and gloom merchants who denigrate their own country.
environmental	Aiming or designed to promote the protection of the natural world. Acid rain may have caused major environmental damage.
glut	Supply with an excess of. The roads are glutted with cars.
gorge	A deep ravine (usually with a river running through it. They gorged themselves on Cornish cream teas.
infect	Affect with a virus. The panic in his voice infected her.
maculate	Morally blemished; stained or impure. A dirty white T shirt maculated with barbecue sauce.
overeat	Overeat or eat immodestly make a pig of oneself. If your friends overeat you re more likely to overeat too.
pollute	Contaminate (water, the air, etc.) with harmful or poisonous substances. The explosion polluted the town with dioxin.
pollution	The presence in or introduction into the environment of a substance which has harmful or poisonous effects. The level of pollution in the air is rising.
sicken	Upset and make nauseated. The pornographic pictures sickened us.
slur	Speak disparagingly of e g make a racial slur. He was slurring his words like a drunk.
smirch	Make (something) dirty; soil. I am not accustomed to having my honour smirched.
smudge	Make a smudge on soil by smudging. The photograph had been smudged by the photocopier and was by no means as clear as the original.
stain	Be marked or be liable to be marked with a stain. Wood can always be stained to a darker shade.
sully	French statesman (1560-1641. She wondered if she dared sully the gleaming sink.
taint	The state of being contaminated. The rennet should be soaked in water containing sufficient salt to keep it from tainting.
tarnish	Make or become less valuable or respected. He was removing tarnish from the candlesticks.