unworship · noun — lack of worship or respect; dishonour; failure or refusal to worship; irreverence. It carries an Arena rating of 1647, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, unworship ranks #2,661 of 17,171 for Scariest Words, #4,088 of 17,205 for The Improbable, #4,256 of 17,201 for Funniest Words, #5,507 of 17,163 for Most Sublime Words.
Why “unworship” is a great word
UNWORSHIP — [Noun] The lack of worship, reverence, or profound respect; dishonor or irreverence, particularly in a religious or sacred context. From the Middle English *unworship*, from the Old English *unworþsċyp*, a compound of the prefix *un-* (meaning "not") and *worship* (meaning "honour, reverence"). Unlike "disrespect," a general lack of courtesy, or "blasphemy," an active profanation of the sacred, unworship is a passive, hollow state of neglect. It is the silence in the abandoned chapel, the dust on the neglected altar, and the turned back of the congregation that has simply forgotten to look—a slow, quiet recession of the sacred that leaves only the weight of devotion withheld.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
From Middle English unworship, unworschip, unworschipe, unworschippe, from Old English unworþsċyp, unworþsċype, unweorþsċipe, equivalent to un- + worship.
noun
- Lack of worship or respect; dishonour; failure or refusal to worship; irreverence.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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