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.

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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

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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

In his discussion of Cuban reforms, Mr. Gonzalez mentions Deng Xiaoping’s willingness to leave Mao’s religious dedication to Marxist failure and embrace some capitalism.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

"This study reflects years of collaborative effort across multiple laboratories and would not have been possible without the dedication, creativity and perseverance of this tremendous research team that helped drive the science forward," she said.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026

"It's incredibly frustrating when the hard work and dedication that goes into creating great experiences for our customers is not respected."

From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026

At the Rick Owens show, Rick-heads made minimal weather-restrictive tweaks to their usual uniforms — platforms, leather, ground-grazing garments — making you appreciate the beauty in that level of ascetic dedication.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026

If I had been born in a much earlier age, no matter how great my dedication, I would not have understood what the stars and planets are.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

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

From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2025

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

Plenty of disc jockeys have come up with analogous call-in show formats over the last 80 years, but Laboe was likely the first to take listener requests and dedications.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 12, 2023

Poetry and drama were deeply involved in networks of patronage: praise-poems, sucky-up dedications, scurrilous broadsides, and vicious “flytings” of one’s rivals.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith

Related Words

• adherence
• allegiance
• commitment
• devotion