sacrilegious
[ sak-ruh-lij-uh s, -lee-juh s ]
/ ˌsæk rəˈlɪdʒ əs, -ˈli dʒəs /
adjective
Nearby words
sacrifice fly, sacrifice paddock, sacrificial, sacrificial anode, sacrilege, sacrilegious, sacring, sacring bell, sacristan, sacristy, sacro-
Related forms
Pronunciation note
The almost universal pronunciation of sacrilegious as [sak-ruh-lij-uh s] /ˌsæk rəˈlɪdʒ əs/ 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-ruh-lee-juh s] /ˌsæk rəˈli dʒəs/ occurs in American English, though not in British English, and criticism of the newer pronunciation has almost disappeared.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for sacrilegious
British Dictionary definitions for sacrilegious
sacrilegious
/ (ˌsækrɪˈlɪdʒəs) /
adjective
of, relating to, or involving sacrilege; impious
guilty of sacrilege
Derived Forms
sacrilegiously, adverbsacrilegiousness, nounCollins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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