Calvary
noun
Golgotha, the place where Jesus was crucified.
Calvary
American
[kal-vuh-ree]
/ ˈkæl və ri /
noun
Calvaries
plural
-
Bible. Golgotha, the place where Jesus was crucified.
-
Often calvary a sculptured representation of the Crucifixion, usually erected in the open air.
-
none calvary an experience or occasion of extreme suffering, especially mental suffering.
Calvary
1
British
/ ˈkælvərɪ /
noun
calvary
2
British
/ ˈkælvərɪ /
noun
-
(often capital) a representation of Christ's crucifixion, usually sculptured and in the open air
-
any experience involving great suffering
Calvary
Cultural
Pronunciation
See irrelevant.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of Calvary
First recorded before 1000; from Late Latin Calvāria “Calvary,” from Latin calvāria “a skull,” used to translate Greek kraníon cranium, itself a translation of the Aramaic name; see Golgotha
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.
See Examples For:
Pioneer Park used to be Calvary cemetery once upon a time.
From Salon ● May 9, 2026
Actor Gary Lydon who starred in films such as Calvary, The Guard and The Banshees of Inisherin, has died aged 61.
From BBC ● May 3, 2026
At the site where he was killed in south Minneapolis, close to the Calvary Baptist Church, mourners gathered at all hours to lay flowers and light candles in his honour.
From BBC ● Jan. 25, 2026
Class was in session at Calvary Christian School.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 1, 2025
The dim Chapel of Calvary held a mournful mural of Jesus lying arms outspread and dead on the cross after it was taken down and laid on the ground.
From "Habibi" by Naomi Shihab Nye
And when the calvary arrives in Episode 6 of "The Rings of Power," they do so on horses.
From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2022
So began a calvary of severe fatigue, brain fog, imbalance and other symptoms that are still with her eight months later.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2021
That same day, a supporter misspelled the word “cavalry” in tweeting that “The calvary is coming, Mr. President!”
From New York Times ● Jan. 6, 2021
His calvary - his enemies would say "deceit" - goes back to 2006.
From BBC ● Mar. 8, 2016
When the wah was over, me and some boys went over to the battlefield and foun' a calvary gun which I had for years.
From Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves Kentucky Narratives by Work Projects Administration
Dangerous passions of pride, hatred and selfishness are enthroned in our lives; truth lies prostrate on the rugged hills of nameless Calvaries.
From Time Magazine Archive
And I was shown in that Vision the Calvaries of maternity common to all, whether the conception be immaculate, so-called if within the law, or maculate, so-called if without the law.
From A Cry in the Wilderness by Waller, Mary E. (Mary Ella)
Perhaps the cheapest Continental tour, of say three weeks, that could be taken, amid a constantly changing environment, if one so choose, would comprehend this land of Calvaries.
From The Cathedrals of Northern France by McManus, Blanche
Calvaries, or representations of the passion on the Cross, are most frequently encountered in Brittany, so much so, indeed, that it has been called ‘the Land of the Calvaries.’
From Legends & Romances of Brittany by Spence, Lewis
A district in the island of Lewis, Outer Hebrides; mentioned, 53 Calvaries.
From Legends & Romances of Brittany by Spence, Lewis
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.
