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

"We would like to take this opportunity to thank Police Scotland for their dedication in the inquiry and for the support they have provided our family throughout this incredibly traumatic time."

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 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

But the ultimate vindication of the Fourth of July would come four months later, at the dedication of the national cemetery at Gettysburg for the Union dead of the battle.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026

In the opening pages of the novel, a dedication to her: Bunny Hartman.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026

I thought about Dr. King’s courage, his dedication to us, and his struggle for freedom.

From "While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement" by Carolyn Maull McKinstry

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

From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2025

Brother Keshavananda talks about him like an ever-present friend and teacher — who, despite taking his last breath in 1952, lives on in the multiple physical dedications to him in the space.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 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

Jewish groups have long denounced these dedications, arguing soldiers in the Galicia Division swore allegiance to Adolf Hitler, and were either complicit in Nazi Germany's crimes or had committed crimes themselves.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 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