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.
"It's a sacred position to be someone's parent and I feel like their surrogate dad - I am their DIY dad, and that is a privilege."
From BBC
"These 74 sacred objects are not merely works of art; they are living witnesses to the genius of the Khmer ancestors and the spiritual heart of Khmer civilization," it added.
From Barron's
I have had a life of sorrow, I have been poor and ill, but I consider it my duty, a sacred thing, a holy mission to expose it.
From Literature
"Their issue is with the sacred values of these lands, with the national and spiritual values of this nation -- their issue is with this nation itself."
From Barron's
Stella’s mind is on another plane, and has been for 30 years, since that incident in Belfast that has taken on sacred importance in her psyche.
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.
