adjective
-
of, relating to, or involving sacrilege; impious
-
guilty of sacrilege
Pronunciation
The almost universal pronunciation of sacrilegious as is the result of folk etymology—modifying the pronunciation of an unfamiliar word so that it conforms to a more familiar one—in this case religious. Etymologically, sacrilegious has no direct relationship to religious. The historical pronunciation occurs in American English, though not in British English, and criticism of the newer pronunciation has almost disappeared.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of sacrilegious
1400–50; late Middle English sacrilegiose; see sacrilege, -ous
Explanation
Sacrilegious means extremely disrespectful towards something considered sacred. An action that causes deep offense to a believer — like burning a religious text, for example — is sacrilegious. The Latin sacrilegus, "thief of sacred things," was used to describe robbers who plundered graves and temples. Anything that's sacrilegious is essentially as disrespectful as a graverobber towards things that others find holy or solemn and serious. In modern ironic usage, a sacrilegious opinion runs contrary to popular wisdom or deeply held beliefs. Calling the movie Citizen Kane boring and self-indulgent is totally sacrilegious to many movie lovers.
Vocabulary lists containing sacrilegious
The Tragedy of Macbeth
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Commonly Misspelled Words, List 1
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Catcher in the Rye
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
At once straight-faced, sacrilegious and scatological, “Team America” needed nine tries to eke past the MPAA.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
The Sorbonne has said the "Moliere Ex Machina" project was aimed at "bringing to life a world that never was, but could have been", and acknowledged its attempt to imitate Moliere "was bold, almost sacrilegious".
From Barron's ● May 4, 2026
I don’t know if this is sacrilegious, but we serve gumbo with rice, and so I’ll often serve my ratatouille with rice.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 9, 2024
Muslims consider images of the prophet to be sacrilegious and encouraging of idolatry.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 8, 2023
It would have been, I believe, considered sacrilegious for any of my early English teachers to mention that a Shakespeare, a Shelley, or a Keats even considered accepting money for the words.
From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers
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.
