sacrosanct
Americanadjective
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extremely sacred or inviolable.
a sacrosanct chamber in the temple.
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not to be entered or trespassed upon.
She considered her home office sacrosanct.
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above or beyond criticism, change, or interference.
a manuscript deemed sacrosanct.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of sacrosanct
First recorded in 1595–1605, sacrosanct is from Latin sacrō sānctus “made holy by sacred rite.” See sacred, saint
Explanation
You might be enraged at the idea of doing homework on a Saturday if you consider your weekends sacrosanct — meaning they are too special or important to interrupt. Sacrosanct is often used to describe religious rituals and traditions, which isn’t surprising considering that this adjective comes from the Latin word for something that is protected by a religious sanction. A church, for example, might consider its Sunday service to be sacrosanct — a very important and holy ritual that cannot be changed or canceled. It’s a bad idea to criticize or change any custom or tradition that people consider sacrosanct — they won’t be happy about it.
Vocabulary lists containing sacrosanct
This Week in Words: September 1 - 7, 2018
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This Week In Words: September 28–October 4, 2019
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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.
Turner, who died Wednesday at age 87, elbowed his way to the forefront of modern television by prioritizing profit over deeper questions about whether certain cultural totems should be held sacrosanct.
From Salon • May 8, 2026
Bidding to succeed his former mentor in 1995, Jospin shocked many Socialists by claiming a "right of inventory" over Mitterrand's legacy -- a right to reassess a record that loyalists deemed sacrosanct.
From Barron's • Mar. 23, 2026
The comment is a jolt of realism for German elites, who, more than 80 years after World War II, generally treat international law as sacrosanct.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026
Cannon asserted that doing so here would violate “the presumption of innocence held sacrosanct in our constitutional order,” but that is nonsense.
From Slate • Feb. 26, 2026
And when I did see him, it was usually for dinner, when Mom or Laleh were around to provide a buffer, or for Star Trek, which was sacrosanct.
From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram
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.
