Meanings
blaspheme1
present singular third person blasphemes · participle present blaspheming · participle past blasphemed · past blasphemed
- intransitiveTo commit blasphemy; to speak against God or religious doctrine.
Mrs. Murphy: Don't you blaspheme in here!
1980, The Blues Brothers2 more examples
But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Mark 3:29Thus from the holy Warres are we return'd, / To ſlumber in the Summer of ſoft peace, / Since thoſe proud enemies that late blaſpheamd / And ſpit their furies in the face of Heaven, / Are now laid low in duſt.
1637, Thomas Heywood, The Royall King, and the Loyall Subject. […], London: […] Nich[olas] and John Okes, for James Becket, […], →OCLC, Act I, signature [A4], recto - transitiveTo speak of, or address, with impious irreverence; to revile impiously (anything sacred).
So Dagon ſhall be magnifi'd, and God, / Beſides whom is no God, compar'd with Idols, / Diſglorifi'd, blaſphem'd, and had in ſcorn […]
1671, John Milton, “Samson Agonistes, […].”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC, page 321 more example
How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge thyself on all those who thus continually blaspheme thy great and all-glorious name?
a. 1708, William Beveridge, A Form of Sound Words to be used by Ministers - transitiveTo calumniate; to revile; to abuse.
You do blaspheme the good in mocking me.
c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Measure for Measure”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iv]1 more example
Those who from our labours heap their board, / Blaspheme their feeder and forget their lord.
1725, Homer, “Book XIV”, in [Alexander Pope], transl., The Odyssey of Homer. […], volume III, London: […] Bernard Lintot, →OCLC
blaspheme2
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
blaspheme · verb
- Ancient Greekβλασφημέω
- Late Latinblasphēmāre
- Old Frenchblasfemer
- Middle Englishblasfemen
- Englishblaspheme
From Middle English blasfemen, blasphemen, from Old French blasfemer, from Late Latin blasphēmāre, from Ancient Greek βλασφημέω (blasphēméō). Doublet of blame.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Late Latin
Full word history & related roots →blaspheme · noun
- Ancient Greekβλασφημία
- Ecclesiastical Latinblasphēmia
- Old Frenchblasfeme
- Middle Frenchblaspheme
- Middle Englishblasfeme
- Englishblaspheme
From Middle English blasfeme, blasphem, blaspheme, from Middle French blaspheme, from Old French blasfeme, from Ecclesiastical Latin blasphēmia, from Ancient Greek βλασφημία (blasphēmía).
More words from Middle English, Middle French, Old French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek βλασφημέω
- βλασφημέω (blasphēméō)to speak against God or religious doctrine
Arabic جَدَّفَ عَلَى
- جَدَّفَ عَلَى (jaddafa ʕalā)to speak against God or religious doctrine
Bulgarian богохулствам
- богохулствам (bogohulstvam)to speak against God or religious doctrine
Catalan blasfemar
- blasfemarto speak against God or religious doctrine
Chinese Mandarin 褻瀆 /亵渎
- 褻瀆 /亵渎 (xièdú)to speak against God or religious doctrine
Czech rouhat se
- rouhat seto speak against God or religious doctrine
Danish bespotte
- bespotteto speak against God or religious doctrine
Dutch God lasteren
- God lasterento speak against God or religious doctrine
Esperanto blasfemi
- blasfemito speak against God or religious doctrine
Finnish pilkata Jumalaa
- pilkata Jumalaato speak against God or religious doctrine
French blasphémer
- blasphémerto speak against God or religious doctrine
German blasphemieren, Gott lästern
- blasphemierento speak against God or religious doctrine
- Gott lästernto speak against God or religious doctrine
- lästernto speak against God or religious doctrine
Greek βλασφημώ
- βλασφημώ (vlasfimó)to speak against God or religious doctrine
Hebrew נאץ
- נאץto speak against God or religious doctrine
Indonesian menghujat
- menghujatto speak against God or religious doctrine
Irish diamhaslaigh
- diamhaslaighto speak against God or religious doctrine
Italian bestemmiare
- bestemmiareto speak against God or religious doctrine
Latin blasphēmō
- blasphēmōto speak against God or religious doctrine
Lithuanian plūstis
- plūstisto speak against God or religious doctrine
Norwegian spotte
- spotteto speak against God or religious doctrine
Polish bluźnić, zbluźnić
- bluźnićto speak against God or religious doctrine
- zbluźnićto speak against God or religious doctrine
Portuguese blasfemar
- blasfemarto speak against God or religious doctrine
Romanian blestema
- blestemato speak against God or religious doctrine
Russian богоху́льничать, кощу́нствовать
- богоху́льничать (bogoxúlʹničatʹ)to speak against God or religious doctrine
- кощу́нствовать (koščúnstvovatʹ)to speak against God or religious doctrine
Slovak rúhať sa
- rúhať sato speak against God or religious doctrine
Spanish blasfemar
- blasfemarto speak against God or religious doctrine
Swedish häda, smäda
- hädato speak against God or religious doctrine
- smädato speak against God or religious doctrine
Turkish küfretmek
- küfretmekto speak against God or religious doctrine
Ukrainian богоху́льствувати
- богоху́льствувати (bohoxúlʹstvuvaty)to speak against God or religious doctrine
Yiddish לעסטערן
- לעסטערן (lestern)to speak against God or religious doctrine
Cite this entry
blaspheme. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/blaspheme
“blaspheme.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/blaspheme. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “blaspheme,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/blaspheme.
Source: blaspheme on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.