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View synonyms for sacrilegious

sacrilegious

[ sak-ruh-lij-uhs, -lee-juhs ]

adjective

  1. pertaining to or involving sacrilege:

    sacrilegious practices.

  2. guilty of sacrilege:

    a sacrilegious person.



sacrilegious

/ ˌsækrɪˈlɪdʒəs /

adjective

  1. of, relating to, or involving sacrilege; impious
  2. guilty of sacrilege
“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


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Pronunciation Note

The almost universal pronunciation of sacrilegious as [sak-r, uh, -, lij, -, uh, s] is the result of folk etymology—modifying the pronunciation of an unfamiliar word so that it conforms to a more familiar one—in this case religious. Etymologically, sacrilegious has no direct relationship to religious. The historical pronunciation [sak-r, uh, -, lee, -j, uh, s] occurs in American English, though not in British English, and criticism of the newer pronunciation has almost disappeared.
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Derived Forms

  • ˌsacriˈlegiousness, noun
  • ˌsacriˈlegiously, adverb
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Other Words From

  • sacri·legious·ly adverb
  • sacri·legious·ness noun
  • nonsac·ri·legious adjective
  • nonsac·ri·legious·ly adverb
  • nonsac·ri·legious·ness noun
  • pseudo·sacri·legious adjective
  • pseudo·sacri·legious·ly adverb
  • unsac·ri·legious adjective
  • unsac·ri·legious·ly adverb
  • unsac·ri·legious·ness noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of sacrilegious1

1400–50; late Middle English sacrilegiose; sacrilege, -ous
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Example Sentences

Prosecutors said the group had "insulted in a sacrilegious manner the centuries-old foundations of the Russian Orthodox Church".

For the original readers, these changes are considered sacrilegious.

True confession: I hated Madame Bovary, sacrilegious as that sounds.

Talking about good and evil is fine, but conflating the American government with good is sacrilegious.

Here was truly a sacrilegious adoration; yet we are not told that it excited discontent.

From thence he commanded the sacrilegious wretch to be thrown down into the ashes, all men thrusting him forward unto death.

That sacrilegious wretch, who carries on his shield the portrait of Malborgiane, his mistress!

It was plain I had stumbled with sacrilegious feet into the room of the daughter of the house.

They stood in front of the door of the tomb and spoke some sacrilegious words.

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sacrilegesacring