dedication

[ded-i-key-shuh n]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dedication ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act of dedicating.

the state of being dedicated: Her dedication to medicine was so great that she had time for little else.

a formal, printed inscription in a book, piece of music, etc., dedicating it to a person, cause, or the like.

a personal, handwritten inscription in or on a work, as by an author to a friend.

a ceremony marking the official completion or opening of a public building, institution, monument, etc.

Origin of dedication

1350–1400; Middle English dedicacioun < Latin dēdicātiōn- (stem of dēdicātiō), equivalent to dēdicāt(us) (see dedicate) + -iōn- -ion

Related formsded·i·ca·tion·al, adjectivenon·ded·i·ca·tion, nouno·ver·ded·i·ca·tion, nounpre·ded·i·ca·tion, nounre·ded·i·ca·tion, nounself-ded·i·ca·tion, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for dedication

adherence, commitment, devotion, allegiance, wholeheartedness, inscription, envoy, consecration, address, message, glorification, celebration

Examples from the Web for dedication

Contemporary Examples of dedication

And the CDC team that arrived to ensure they were properly trained and equipped found them in no need of moxie and dedication.
Ebola Nurses Are As Brave As Soldiers
Michael Daly
October 17, 2014
As I wrote in the dedication, it allowed me to hate her, to love her, to forgive her.
Richard Blanco’s Gay Latino Poet Survival Kit
William O’Connor
October 8, 2014
As an adulthood now living out his passion, his dedication sometimes borders on obsession.
Fighting Ebola With Nothing but Hope
Abby Haglage
August 27, 2014
Even so, writers of suspense fiction vary in their reliance on and dedication to fact.
Writing a Novel: Even Making It Up Requires Research
Ridley Pearson
July 16, 2014
This dedication lies beyond technique; it makes being a blues player something like being a priest.
Stanley Booth on the Life and Hard Times of Blues Genius Furry Lewis
Stanley Booth
June 7, 2014

Historical Examples of dedication

In this dedication of a Nation we humbly ask the blessing of God.
United States Presidents' Inaugural Speeches
Various
The dedication of the temple was signalized by a similar manifestation.
Female Scripture Biographies, Vol. I
Francis Augustus Cox
He scorned a dedication, that misnomer for gratuitous advertising.
Punchinello, Vol. 1, No. 15, July 9, 1870
Various
Drafts for the dedication, the preface, and for a work on Esthetics.
Albert Durer
T. Sturge Moore
To be in the mode I must have my poet, and throw him a handful of guineas for his dedication.
Micah Clarke
Arthur Conan Doyle

British Dictionary definitions for dedication

dedication

noun

the act of dedicating or the state of being dedicated

an inscription or announcement prefixed to a book, piece of music, etc, dedicating it to a person or thing

complete and wholehearted devotion, esp to a career, ideal, etc

a ceremony in which something, such as a church, is dedicated

Derived Formsdedicational, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for dedication

late 14c., "action of dedicating," from Old French dedicacion (14c., Modern French dédication) "consecration of a church or chapel," or directly from Latin dedicationem, noun of action from dedicare (see dedicate). Meaning "the giving of oneself to some purpose" is c.1600; as an inscription in a book, etc., from 1590s.