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.
It was a sacred part of our year.
From Literature
A sacred drum looted by French forces during its colonial rule in Ivory Coast has been returned to the country, more than a century after it was taken.
From BBC
"The human touch for little children is sacred and something that should be really protected and fought for," she added.
From BBC
At the culmination of the ritual Jawa burned through a sacred white cord to tie around his wrist for protection, and as a reminder of his promises.
From Barron's
“Ours is a free society where the right to peaceful protest is sacred.”
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.
