dedication

American  

[ded-i-key-shuhn] / ˌdɛd ɪˈkeɪ ʃən /

noun

• dedications
  plural

1. the act of dedicating.

2. the state of being dedicated.

   Her dedication to medicine was so great that she had time for little else.

3. a formal, printed inscription in a book, piece of music, etc., dedicating it to a person, cause, or the like.

4. a personal, handwritten inscription in or on a work, as by an author to a friend.

5. a ceremony marking the official completion or opening of a public building, institution, monument, etc.

---

dedication British  

/ ˌdɛdɪˈkeɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of dedicating or the state of being dedicated

2. an inscription or announcement prefixed to a book, piece of music, etc, dedicating it to a person or thing

3. complete and wholehearted devotion, esp to a career, ideal, etc

4. a ceremony in which something, such as a church, is dedicated

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nondedication
  noun
• overdedication
  noun
• prededication
  noun
• rededication
  noun
• self-dedication
  noun
• dedicational
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• dedications
  plural

Etymology

Origin of dedication

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English dedicacioun, from Latin dēdicātiōn-, stem of dēdicātiō, literally, “a declaring,” equivalent to dēdicāt(us) “declared, devoted” (past participle of dēdicāre; see dedicate) + -iō -ion

Explanation

Dedication means "committing yourself to something," like your dedication to marathon training that had you running every single morning for four months. Dedication can be complete devotion and faith in someone or something, like your dedication to your family, a ceremony in which something is officially named, like the dedication of a new building. Another kind of dedication is a short message written to someone, like the dedication "Happy Birthday, Uncle Fred," which you write inside the book you give him, or something extra added to an autograph, like "To my greatest fan!"

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dedication dedications

Barons said her journey, down to hard work and dedication over the past couple of years, has been "so exciting".

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

He also invited Kraft to match his donation and reaffirmed his dedication to the Palestinian cause.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

But there was no difference in the goal or in the dedication with which people pursued it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

Make no mistake: America’s biggest theater chain wading into the indie film distribution business is a bold, risky move that suggests a dedication to both the art of cinema and the curious moviegoer.

From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026

The wound was so serious that only doctors with skill and dedication, like Garfield’s, could have kept him alive and put him on the road to recovery.

From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow

Some of the aging boxes contain autographs or dedications from the A-listers.

From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2025

Agencies may still require street dedications if they can demonstrate their necessity.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 26, 2024

As at the Chicago rat hole, an altar or shrine would have then been set up for pilgrims to offer dedications and make special requests.

From Slate ● Feb. 11, 2024

He was clean-shaven and carried a bible and a blue book of dedications which had "Jesus First" emblazoned on its cover.

From Reuters ● May 26, 2023

Jim, a year ahead of me and a football star, usually got several dedications every day from admiring girls.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

Related Words

• adherence
• allegiance
• commitment
• devotion