sacrilege
Americannoun
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the violation or profanation of anything sacred or held sacred.
-
an instance of this.
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the stealing of anything consecrated to the service of God.
noun
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the misuse or desecration of anything regarded as sacred or as worthy of extreme respect
to play Mozart's music on a kazoo is sacrilege
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the act or an instance of taking anything sacred for secular use
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of sacrilege
1275–1325; Middle English < Old French < Latin sacrilegium, equivalent to sacri- (combining form of sacrum holy place) + leg ( ere ) to steal, literally, gather + -ium -ium
Explanation
If you show up to an animal rights rally with a bucket full of fried chicken for lunch, you may be accused of committing sacrilege. You are violating a belief held sacred, at least by some individuals. Sacrilege has its roots in the Latin sacr-, meaning "holy." Sacrilege was originally reserved for talking about blasphemous acts that disrespect, violate, or misuse holy traditions or objects. However, today the term sacrilege carries a broader, and lighter, meaning than its origins suggest. For example, it's usually considered sacrilege to root for the out-of-town team that's playing against your home team. Ancient users of this word might think our looser definition is sacrilege.
Vocabulary lists containing sacrilege
Things Fall Apart
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A Thousand Splendid Suns
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Their Eyes Were Watching God
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
By the time he’d aired a colorized version of “Casablanca” on his channel, Turner set his sights on what many viewed as the ultimate sacrilege – pigmenting Orson Welles’ “Citizen Kane.”
From Salon • May 8, 2026
That claim might seem like sacrilege to generations of basketball fans who watched golden eras of the NBA from Wilt/Russell to LeBron/Curry.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 3, 2025
In a post on X, Shapps said "renaming HMS Agincourt is nothing short of sacrilege".
From BBC • Jan. 27, 2025
And while it may be sacrilege to call Isabella Rossellini and Hope Davis superfluous, as an anthropology professor and a flamboyant mother, respectively, they are.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 6, 2023
Putting dirty clothes back on was a sacrilege.
From "We Are Okay" by Nina LaCour
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
