IRREVERENCE

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does irreverence mean? 

• IRREVERENCE (noun)
  The noun IRREVERENCE has 2 senses:

1. an irreverent mental attitude

2. a disrespectful act

  Familiarity information: IRREVERENCE used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• IRREVERENCE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An irreverent mental attitude

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("irreverence" is a kind of...):

attitude; mental attitude (a complex mental state involving beliefs and feelings and values and dispositions to act in certain ways)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "irreverence"):

profaneness (an attitude of irreverence or contempt for a divinity)

Antonym:

reverence (a reverent mental attitude)

Derivation:

irreverent (not revering god)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A disrespectful act

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

irreverence; violation

Hypernyms ("irreverence" is a kind of...):

evil; immorality; iniquity; wickedness (morally objectionable behavior)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "irreverence"):

blasphemy; desecration; profanation; sacrilege (blasphemous behavior; the act of depriving something of its sacred character)

Derivation:

irreverent (showing lack of due respect or veneration)

 Context examples 

But there was no sign of reawakening courage in his followers, rather, indeed, of growing terror at the irreverence of his words.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)