Blaspheme is a verb meaning to speak sacrilegiously about God or sacred things; to show irreverence or disrespect toward something considered holy. It often implies transgression of religious reverence and is used in formal, religious, or moral discussions, as well as secular contexts when criticizing religious beliefs or sacred symbols.
"He warned that to blaspheme in their tradition could offend the community."
"The comedian’s joke was seen as an act to blaspheme the sacred symbols."
"She refused to blaspheme even in jest, respecting the beliefs of others."
"The pamphlet accused leaders of blaspheming the divine word by altering it."
Blaspheme derives from the Late Latin blasphemare, from Greek blasphemein, meaning to speak ill of or revile the gods, with blasphemiā or blasphemia indicating blasphemous acts or words. The root elements are blas-, from the Greek blaptō meaning to injure or harm, and -phemē, from phemi meaning to say. In Classical and Hellenistic usage, it often referred to offenses against the gods and sacred things; in Christian contexts, it came to denote irreverent or impious speech about God or sacred objects. In Medieval Latin and Old French, the term evolved to describe acts or words that insult religious authority, often carrying legal or doctrinal penalties in religious societies. By the 16th–18th centuries, the term entered English religious and moral discourse more broadly, capturing both overt sacrilege and metaphorical insults toward revered ideas. In modern usage, blaspheme can also be employed more loosely to criticize beliefs or sacred symbols in secular debate, though it retains strong moral and cultural weight in many communities.
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Words that rhyme with "Blaspheme"
-ame sounds
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Blaspheme is pronounced /ˈblæsˌfiːm/ in US and UK English, with primary stress on the first syllable and secondary stress on the second. Start with the 'blas' part—'blæ' as in 'cat', then 'sp' blends quickly to 'f' in 'fie', and finish with the long 'eem' as in 'seem' but with a long e: /ˈblæsˌfiːm/. Tip: think 'BLASS-feem' with a light, crisp 's' before the 'f'. Audio references: you can hear native pronunciations on Pronounce, Forvo, and YouTube pronunciations linked via reputable dictionaries.
Common errors include misplacing stress (often saying 'blaspHEME' with stress on the second syllable) and turning the 'pf' cluster into an awkward 'pf' sound, or mispronouncing the 'ea' as a long 'ay' instead of a long 'ee' /iː/. Correction: keep primary stress on the first syllable: /ˈblæs/; the second syllable is /fiːm/. Practice the 'sp' + 'h' transition as a quick 's- f' blend and ensure the final /iːm/ is drawn out slightly, not clipped.
Across US/UK/AU, the core phonemes remain, but rhoticity and vowel quality shift expectations. The US commonly pronounces the initial vowel as /æ/ with a clearer /r/ absence, while UK English maintains non-rhoticity, so the final /m/ is stable, but the preceding /fiː/ can be slightly shorter in some RP variants. Australian tends toward a more centralized /ə/ in unstressed vowels, but the stressed syllables keep /ˈblæs/ and /fiːm/. Overall, the main differences are vowel quality and the presence/absence of rhoticity in connected speech.
The difficulty lies in the two-syllable stress pattern and the /æ/ versus /a/ in different dialects, plus the consonant cluster /sp/ transitioning into /f/—you want a rapid, clean /s/ before the /f/ without vocalic intrusion. Lip and jaw positioning requires a tight, forward tongue toward the alveolar ridge for the /blæs/ portion, then a quick shift to /fiːm/. Small differences between American and British pronunciations in vowel length and the /r/ coloring (non-rhotic UK) can trip learners, especially when connecting speech.
Yes: the 'sp' sequence followed immediately by /f/ requires a clean, unvoiced transition: /sp/ blends to /sf/ quickly without adding extra vowel sounds. Keep the /æ/ short and crisp before the /s/ of the second syllable. Your mouth should move in a small, controlled motion: lips neutral to slightly rounded for /f/; teeth lightly touching lower lip for /f/; jaw relaxes to allow /iː/ to extend. The result should feel like a steady, clipped 'BLASS-feem' with minimal space between syllables.
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