desanctify
Remove sacred status
To desanctify is to strip something of its sacred or holy status—the opposite of sanctify.
A church building might be desanctified before being sold for secular use.
The term extends to removing the aura of reverence from anything treated as untouchable: The biography desanctified the beloved founder, revealing his flaws.
Violation of sanctity
- defilementAct of corrupting purity
- violationBreaking of rules
- sacrilegeViolation of the hallowed
- blasphemyIrreverence toward the sacred
dishonor · vandalism · degradation · defacement · spoliation · ruination · abuse · damage
Scornful ridicule or travesty
- scoffingMocking with contempt
- disrespectLack of regard
- contemptDisdainful disregard
- derisionContemptuous mockery
iconoclasm · impiety · skepticism · cynicism · defiance · flippancy · disdain · dismissal
Withdrawal of official status
- deconsecrationRemoval of sacred status
- secularismSeparation of faith, state
- demystificationExplaining the obscure
- disenchantmentLoss of cherished belief
worldliness · rationalization · modernization · privatization · separation · neutralization · divestment · reform
profanation
Violation of sanctity
- defilementAct of corrupting purity
- violationBreaking of rules
- sacrilegeViolation of the hallowed
blasphemy · dishonor · vandalism · degradation · defacement · spoliation · ruination · abuse · damage · destruction
mockery
Scornful ridicule or travesty
- scoffingMocking with contempt
- disrespectLack of regard
- contemptDisdainful disregard
derision · iconoclasm · impiety · skepticism · cynicism · defiance · flippancy · disdain · dismissal · ridicule
disestablishment
Withdrawal of official status
- deconsecrationRemoval of sacred status
- secularismSeparation of faith, state
- demystificationExplaining the obscure
disenchantment · worldliness · rationalization · modernization · privatization · separation · neutralization · divestment · reform · transformation