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.
"These two operations reflect our nation's most sacred obligation to our military service members," Caine said.
From Barron's • Apr. 6, 2026
Discarding all of those sacred texts “was heartbreaking,” he recalled.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026
He approached his two administrations as “a sacred trust.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026
The Vatican itself has not spoken on the matter, but in 2016 did set out its position to recommend that the bodies of the deceased are buried in cemeteries or other sacred places.
From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026
Early one morning they hired a boat to row them into the Ganges River, a waterway sacred to Hindus.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
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.
