sacred

[sey-krid]

adjective

1. devoted or dedicated to a deity or to some religious purpose; consecrated.

2. entitled to veneration or religious respect by association with divinity or divine things; holy.

   Synonyms: venerable, divine
   Antonyms: blasphemous

3. pertaining to or connected with religion (secular orprofane ).

   sacred music;

   sacred books.

4. reverently dedicated to some person, purpose, or object.

   a morning hour sacred to study.

   Synonyms: consecrated

5. regarded with reverence.

   the sacred memory of a dead hero.

   Synonyms: revered

6. secured against violation, infringement, etc., as by reverence or sense of right.

   sacred oaths; sacred rights.

   Synonyms: sacrosanct

7. properly immune from violence, interference, etc., as a person or office.

   Synonyms: inviolable, inviolate

sacred

/ ˈseɪkrɪd /

adjective

1. exclusively devoted to a deity or to some religious ceremony or use; holy; consecrated

2. worthy of or regarded with reverence, awe, or respect

3. protected by superstition or piety from irreligious actions

4. connected with or intended for religious use

   sacred music

5. dedicated to; in honour of

Other Word Forms

• sacredness noun
• sacredly adverb
• nonsacred adjective
• nonsacredly adverb
• nonsacredness noun
• pseudosacred adjective
• semisacred adjective
• supersacred adjective
• unsacred adjective
• unsacredly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of sacred¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of sacred¹

C14: from Latin sacrāre to set apart as holy, from sacer holy

Synonym Study

See holy.

Example Sentences

The home should instead be a “sacred landing place, away from the worries of the world.”

From Salon

Money is not taboo, but neither is it sacred: it is a tool for autonomy.

From BBC

And in the Philippines, an independent commission has been set up to investigate the possible misuse of flood prevention funds, with President Marcos promising there would be "no sacred cows" in the hunt.

From BBC

It has been an extraordinary run of attacks using levers of power that have been seen as sacred arbiters of the public trust for decades, scholars and historians say.

From Los Angeles Times

These challenges are presented as inevitable consequences of abandoning divinely ordained feminine roles – positioning religious tradwives’ messages as not merely personal opinions, but sacred truths.

From Salon

Related Words

• cherished www.thesaurus.com
• divine 
• hallowed 
• religious 
• revered 
• solemn 
• spiritual