dedication

American  

[ded-i-key-shuhn] / ˌdɛd ɪˈkeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act of dedicating.

2. the state of being dedicated: 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

• dedicational adjective
• nondedication noun
• overdedication noun
• prededication noun
• rededication noun
• self-dedication noun

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; 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

Sayings designed to instill the value of hard work and dedication?

From Salon • Apr. 13, 2026

A dedication from a soldier to Mercurius Alatheus, dated September 9, 246 CE, shows that the sanctuary remained active at least into the mid-3rd century CE.

From Science Daily • Apr. 5, 2026

"They feel that their dedication to their studies isn't worth it because of the situation in Venezuela," she says.

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026

That he didn’t just crush the egg and spit it out is testament either to his dedication or his madness.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

Her dedication to church was like my commitment to becoming the world’s greatest scientist.

From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas

Related Words

• adherence
• allegiance
• commitment
• devotion