Standard Lemma guide

blasphemous

adj · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈblæs.fəm.əs/
  • UK: /ˈblæs.fəm.ʌs/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: B L AE1 S F AH0 M AH0 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Lacking piety or respect for the sacred; resembling blasphemy.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • His taking the name of God in vain was considered blasphemous.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adjective satellite

Meaning 2

characterized by profanity or cursing

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • foul-mouthed and blasphemous
  • blue language
  • profane words

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: blue, profane

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

grossly irreverent toward what is held to be sacred

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • blasphemous rites of a witches' Sabbath
  • profane utterances against the Church
  • it is sacrilegious to enter with shoes on

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: profane, sacrilegious

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Latin blasphēmus (“blaspheming”), from Ancient Greek βλάσφημος (blásphēmos, “uttering ill-omened words”), equivalent to blaspheme + -ous.

Across languages

Translations

44 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: հայհոյական (hayhoyakan) — lacking piety or respect for the sacred
  • Catalan: blasfem — lacking piety or respect for the sacred
  • Chinese Mandarin: 褻瀆神靈 /亵渎神灵 (xièdú shénlíng) — lacking piety or respect for the sacred
  • Czech: rouhavý — lacking piety or respect for the sacred
  • Czech: rouhačský — lacking piety or respect for the sacred
  • Danish: blasfemisk — lacking piety or respect for the sacred
  • Dutch: godslasterlijk — lacking piety or respect for the sacred
  • Esperanto: malpia — lacking piety or respect for the sacred
  • Faroese: gudsspottandi — lacking piety or respect for the sacred
  • Finnish: rienaava — lacking piety or respect for the sacred
  • Finnish: pilkkaava — lacking piety or respect for the sacred
  • French: blasphématoire — lacking piety or respect for the sacred
  • Georgian: მკრეხელური (mḳrexeluri) — lacking piety or respect for the sacred
  • German: blasphemisch — lacking piety or respect for the sacred
  • German: gotteslästerlich — lacking piety or respect for the sacred
  • Greek: βλάσφημος (vlásfimos) — lacking piety or respect for the sacred
  • Ancient Greek: βλάσφημος (blásphēmos) — lacking piety or respect for the sacred
  • Hungarian: istenkáromló — lacking piety or respect for the sacred
  • Irish: blaisféimeach — lacking piety or respect for the sacred
  • Irish: diamhaslach — lacking piety or respect for the sacred
  • Irish: dia-aithiseach — lacking piety or respect for the sacred
  • Irish: naomhaithiseach — lacking piety or respect for the sacred
  • Italian: blasfemo — lacking piety or respect for the sacred
  • Middle English: blasfeme — lacking piety or respect for the sacred
  • Norwegian Bokmål: blasfemisk — lacking piety or respect for the sacred
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: blasfemisk — lacking piety or respect for the sacred
  • Polish: bluźnierczy — lacking piety or respect for the sacred
  • Portuguese: blasfemo — lacking piety or respect for the sacred
  • Romanian: blasfemator — lacking piety or respect for the sacred
  • Russian: богоху́льный (bogoxúlʹnyj) — lacking piety or respect for the sacred
  • Russian: нечести́вый (nečestívyj) — lacking piety or respect for the sacred
  • Russian: богоху́льственный (bogoxúlʹstvennyj) — lacking piety or respect for the sacred
  • Russian: святота́тственный (svjatotátstvennyj) — lacking piety or respect for the sacred
  • Russian: кощу́нственный (koščúnstvennyj) — lacking piety or respect for the sacred
  • Serbo-Croatian: бласфѐмичан — lacking piety or respect for the sacred
  • Serbo-Croatian: svȅtogr̄dnī — lacking piety or respect for the sacred
  • Serbo-Croatian: blasfèmičan — lacking piety or respect for the sacred
  • Serbo-Croatian: svȅtogr̄dan — lacking piety or respect for the sacred
  • Spanish: blasfemo — lacking piety or respect for the sacred
  • Spanish: blasfematorio — lacking piety or respect for the sacred
  • Spanish: blasfemante — lacking piety or respect for the sacred
  • Spanish: blasfemador — lacking piety or respect for the sacred
  • Swedish: blasfemisk — lacking piety or respect for the sacred
  • Swedish: hädisk — lacking piety or respect for the sacred