Synonyms of defile
75 similar words · 16 opposite words
Another word for defile is soil. Other synonyms of defile are foul, spot, stain, sully and dirty. The opposite of defile is consecrate.
Synonyms and similar words for defile
verbTo make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean; to befoul, to soil.
- contaminateTo soil, stain, corrupt, or infect by contact or association.
- polluteTo corrupt or profane.
- spoil
- sullyTo soil or stain; to dirty.
- beclart UK, dialectalTo besmear; bedaub; bemire; smear all over with dirt.
- bedirtyTo dirty, soil; make dirty.
- bedizen UK, dialectalTo make (someone or something) dirty; to bedaub, to besmear, to dirty.
- befoulTo make foul; to soil; to contaminate, pollute.
- begrimeTo ingrain grime or dirt which is difficult to remove into (something); also (more generally), to make (something)...
- beshit figuratively, vulgarTo soil; to spoil; to defile; to befoul.
- besmearTo smear over, to smear all over, to daub.
- besmirchTo make dirty.
- besullyTo make sullied or soiled; defile.
- blackenTo make dirty.
- blotTo impair; to damage; to mar; to soil.
- clatTo dirty.
- darkenTo make foul; to sully; to tarnish.
- dirtenTo make or become dirty or soiled.
- dirtyTo become soiled; to soil or defecate on.
- elt ScotlandTo begrime; soil with mud; daub; smear.
- foulTo make dirty.
- gunkTo soil or make dirty.
- gunk upTo soil or dirty; to mess up; to clog.
- inquinateTo pollute or make dirty.
- scungeTo mark with scunge; to begrime or besmirch.
- sling mud
- slotterTo make filthy; to foul.
- slurTo soil; to sully; to contaminate; to disgrace.
- smearTo make something dirty.
- smirchTo dirty; to make dirty.
- smudgeTo soil or smear with dirt.
- smutTo stain (or be stained) with soot or other dirt.
- smutchTo soil, stain or smudge.
- soilTo make dirty.
- soss UK, dialectalTo soil; to make dirty.
- spotTo stain; to leave a spot (on).
- stainTo discolor, as by spilling or other contact with a fluid or substance.
- sullowTo sully.
- tarnishTo compromise, damage, soil, or sully.
- assoil obsoleteTo make (something) dirty or soiled; to soil; to stain; to sully.
- bedaub obsoleteTo smear upon; to soil.
- imbrue (especially with blood) archaic, literary
- befile obsoleteTo make filthy; befoul; soil.
- befilth rareTo cover with filth; make filthy; begrime.
- beray archaic, obsoleteTo make foul; befoul; soil.
- bewray archaic, obsoleteTo soil or befoul; to beray.
- blur obsoleteTo smear, stain or smudge.
- file archaicTo defile.
- foil obsoleteTo defile; to soil.
- sowl obsoleteTo soil or stain; to dirty.
- uggle UK, dialectalTo make dirty.
verbTo act inappropriately towards or vandalize (something sacred or special); to desecrate, to profane.
- corruptTo make corrupt; to change from good to bad; to draw away from the right path; to deprave; to pervert.
- desecrateTo profane or violate the sacredness or sanctity of something.
- profanateTo profane; to make profane.
- profaneTo violate (something sacred); to treat with abuse, irreverence, obloquy, or contempt; to desecrate.
- profanizeTo make profane.
- violateTo rape.
verbTo deprive (someone) of their sexual chastity or purity, often not consensually; to deflower, to...
- ravishTo rape.
- dishonourTo violate or rape.
- forceTo violate (a woman); to rape.
- misuseTo rape (a woman); later more generally, to sexually abuse (someone).
- rape
- ravage slangTo rape.
- r-word euphemisticTo rape.
- scotch slangTo rape.
- turn out slangTo rape; to coerce an otherwise heterosexual individual into performing a homosexual role.
- grape euphemistic
- vitiate archaicTo violate, to rape.
- abuse archaicTo violate; defile; to rape; (reflexive) to masturbate.
- constuprate obsoleteTo rape, violate.
- defoul obsoleteTo defile the chastity of; to debauch, to rape.
- oppress obsoleteTo sexually violate; to rape.
- outrage archaicTo sexually violate; to rape.
- viole obsoleteTo violate, especially to rape.
verbSynonym of defilade (“to fortify (something) as a protection from enfilading fire”).
- defiladeTo fortify (something) as a protection from enfilading fire.
Opposite of defile
verbTo make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean; to befoul, to soil.
verbTo act inappropriately towards or vandalize (something sacred or special); to desecrate, to profane.
- hallow
- sanctify
- avow
- behallowTo make holy; consecrate; sanctify; hallow completely.
- bless
- canonize
- consecrateTo declare something holy, or make it holy by some procedure.
- dedicate
- martyr
- sacralizeTo make sacred.
- saintSynonym of canonize: to honor, formally name, or revere as a saint.
- inaugurate archaic, rareTo cause (something) to be auspicious or good-omened; also, to declare or make (something) holy; to consecrate, to...
- sacrate obsoleteTo consecrate or dedicate.
Meaning of defile
- verb To make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean; to befoul, to soil.
- verb To make (someone or something) morally impure or unclean; to corrupt, to tarnish.
- verb To act inappropriately towards or vandalize (something sacred or special); to desecrate, to profane.
defile in other languages
Questions about synonyms of defile
- What is another word for defile?
- Defile has 75 synonyms on Word.ws, such as soil, foul, spot, stain, sully, dirty, smut and smear.
- What is the opposite of defile?
- The opposite of defile is consecrate. Other antonyms of defile are saint and clean.
- What does defile mean?
- Defile means to make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean; to befoul, to soil.
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: defile (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Cite this page: “Synonyms of defile.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/defile. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.