sacred

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adjective sa·cred \ ˈsā-krəd \

Definition of sacred

1 a :dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity

a tree sacred to the gods

b :devoted exclusively to one service or use (as of a person or purpose)

a fund sacred to charity

2 a :worthy of religious veneration :holy

b :entitled to reverence and respect

3 :of or relating to religion :not secular or profane

sacred music

4 archaic :accursed

5 a :unassailable, inviolable

b :highly valued and important

a sacred responsibility

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sacredly

adverb

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sacredness

noun

See sacred defined for English-language learners

See sacred defined for kids

Examples of sacred in a Sentence

The burial site is sacred ground.
the sacred image of the Virgin Mary
the sacred pursuit of liberty
We have a sacred duty to find out the truth.
Freedom is a sacred right.
They'll make jokes about anything. Nothing is sacred to those guys.
I can't believe they would do that. Is nothing sacred?

Recent Examples of sacred from the Web

Several are about the size of the state of Delaware, including Mojave Trails in California, Grand-Staircase Escalante in Utah and Bears Ears, which is on sacred tribal land.

— matthew brown and brady mccombs, chicagotribune.com, "Zinke says 27 national monuments under review won't be eliminated, but could be changed," 24 Aug. 2017
On the day after Trump’s inauguration, Utah’s entire congressional delegation asked him to abolish Bear’s Ears, a 1.35 million-acre monument on sacred tribal land that Obama designated in his last days in office.

— adam k. raymond, Daily Intelligencer, "Feds Won’t Eliminate Any National Monuments, But Some May Shrink," 24 Aug. 2017
The Children suffered yet again when the Andals conquered Westeros, killing many of the remaining members of their species and cutting down almost all their sacred heart trees.

— chanel vargas, Harper's BAZAAR, "Who Are the Children of the Forest on Game of Thrones?," 9 Aug. 2017
What looks like arid scrubland contains countless Indian burial grounds and other sites sacred to the tribes who lived here: the Nez Perce, the Umatilla, and the Yakama.

— michael lewis, The Hive, "Why the Scariest Nuclear Threat May Be Coming from Inside the White House," 2 Aug. 2017
JERUSALEM — Six people were killed on Friday in an outbreak of violence that erupted over Israel’s placement of metal detectors at entrances to the sacred Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem and spread to the West Bank.

— isabel kershner, New York Times, "Deadly Violence Erupts in Standoff Over Mosque in Jerusalem," 21 July 2017
The protection of cows, which are sacred to Hindus, has become a sectarian issue in India, where many in the meat-packing industry are Muslim.

— The Economist, "Politics this week," 13 July 2017
Cow slaughter and consumption have increasingly become a flash point in India, where cows are considered sacred by many members of the Hindu majority and where cow traders and beef consumers have faced beatings and lynchings.

— annie gowen, Washington Post, "In rebuke to Modi government, India’s high court suspends ban on trade of cattle for slaughter," 11 July 2017
Along with Stonehenge, Silbury Hill and Windmill Hill, the newfound monuments may have formed a vast sacred landscape that ancient people used for rituals and communal gatherings whose purpose remains shrouded in mystery.

— tia ghose senior writer, Fox News, "Secret square discovered beneath Neolithic stone monument," 10 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sacred.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of sacred

Middle English, from past participle of sacren to consecrate, from Anglo-French sacrer, from Latin sacrare, from sacr-, sacer sacred; akin to Latin sancire to make sacred, Hittite šaklāi- rite

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

sacred Synonyms

Synonyms

hallowed, holy, inviolable, sacrosanct, unassailable, untouchable

Antonyms

nonreligious, profane, secular

Related Words

inviolate, pure; privileged, protected, secure, shielded; exempt, immune

Near Antonyms

blasphemous, irreverent, profane, sacrilegious

Other Christian Religious Terms

Pentateuch, blasphemy, curate, doxology, eremite, iconoclasm, liturgy, orison, pneuma, reliquary

SACRED Defined for English Language Learners

sacred

play

adjective

Definition of sacred for English Language Learners

: worthy of religious worship : very holy
: relating to religion
: highly valued and important : deserving great respect

SACRED Defined for Kids

sacred

play

adjective sa·cred \ ˈsā-krəd \

Definition of sacred for Students

1 :holy 1

a sacred shrine

2 :religious 2

sacred songs

3 :deserving to be respected and honored

Freedom is a sacred right.

Word Root of sacred

The Latin word sacer, meaning “holy,” and the related word sānctus, also meaning “holy,” give us the roots sacr and sanct. Words from the Latin sacer or sānctus have something to do with holiness. A sanctuary is a holy place. Anything sacred is holy. To sacrifice is to dedicate as a holy offering to a god.