defile
Meaning: to make unclean, impure
Usage: She defiled the calm of the religious building by playing her banjo.
desecrate
Meaning: to violate the sacredness of a thing or place
Usage: They feared that the construction of a golf course would desecrate the preserved wilderness.
profane
Meaning: irreverent toward sacred things; vulgar, lewd, or indecent
Usage: The graffiti profaned the quiet chapel wall.
sully
Meaning: to stain, tarnish, or make impure
Usage: The false accusation threatened to sully the student’s reputation.