sacred
Americanadjective
-
devoted or dedicated to a deity or to some religious purpose; consecrated.
-
entitled to veneration or religious respect by association with divinity or divine things; holy.
- Antonyms:
- blasphemous
-
pertaining to or connected with religion (secular orprofane ).
sacred music;
sacred books.
-
reverently dedicated to some person, purpose, or object.
a morning hour sacred to study.
- Synonyms:
- consecrated
-
regarded with reverence.
the sacred memory of a dead hero.
- Synonyms:
- revered
-
secured against violation, infringement, etc., as by reverence or sense of right.
sacred oaths; sacred rights.
- Synonyms:
- sacrosanct
-
properly immune from violence, interference, etc., as a person or office.
- Synonyms:
- inviolable, inviolate
adjective
-
exclusively devoted to a deity or to some religious ceremony or use; holy; consecrated
-
worthy of or regarded with reverence, awe, or respect
-
protected by superstition or piety from irreligious actions
-
connected with or intended for religious use
sacred music
-
dedicated to; in honour of
Related Words
See holy.
Other Word Forms
- nonsacred adjective
- nonsacredly adverb
- nonsacredness noun
- pseudosacred adjective
- sacredly adverb
- sacredness noun
- semisacred adjective
- supersacred adjective
- unsacred adjective
- unsacredly adverb
Etymology
Origin of sacred
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, originally past participle of sacren “to consecrate,” from Latin sacrāre “to devote,” derivative of sacer “holy”; -ed 2
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.
Why it’s vital: Unlike the previous entry, nothing about “Dog Man” is sacred.
From Salon
Instead Mr. Butler-Gallie visits some large ideas through the lens of sacred spaces.
I don’t feel that way because we’re all picking up signs and marching down the street and preaching to people that they need to keep this sacred.
From Los Angeles Times
Elephants are considered sacred in Sri Lanka, where the majority of the population is Buddhist.
From BBC
My father, who started out in life as a salesman and later owned a business, used to refer to “my place of business” as a nearly sacred place.
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.
