sacred

adjective sa·cred \ ˈsā-krəd \

|Updated on: 19 Aug 2018

Examples: sacred in a Sentence

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

—

sacredly

adverb

—

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

Gordon writes about sacred art and architecture and is a research fellow at the American Culture and Ideas Initiative at the University of Arizona.

— robert e. gordon, WSJ, "A Multi-Layered Drama," 13 July 2018
Beast Mode 2 is far from divine, but together Zaytoven and Future have made something sacred.

— hannah giorgis, The Atlantic, "The Cathartic Symphony of Future’s Beast Mode 2," 6 July 2018
Some sacred places are strictly off-limits to non-indigenous folks.

— krista langlois, Outside Online, "Sacred Native American Sites Are Not Your Playgrounds," 5 July 2018
Despite our summer foray into winter, time with family members and eight straight days outside felt sacred and special.

— holly brooks, Anchorage Daily News, "When the Brooks family ventured to the Brooks Range for a summer adventure, winter reared its head," 1 July 2018
In east Jerusalem, the sacred place at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, William was scheduled to view the walled Old City from the Mount of Olives.

— NBC News, "Palestinian girl who won scholarship to Georgetown University to meet Prince William," 27 June 2018
Making Sacrifices Though it was played as an everyday pickup sport, much like soccer or basketball, this ball game also held a sacred place in religion and warfare for Mesoamerican cultures.

— erin blakemore, National Geographic, "Where Did Soccer Start? Archaeology Weighs In.," 15 June 2018
The Church of England actually forbids the act in sacred places—which includes Windsor Castle.

— alexandra macon, Vogue, "How Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Combined Both American and British Traditions in Their Wedding Ceremony," 19 May 2018
The fossil fuel industry is trying to open the vicinity of this sacred place to oil drilling.

— deb haaland, Teen Vogue, "Deb Haaland Could Be the First Native American Woman Elected to Congress," 13 Apr. 2018

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

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

sacred Synonyms

Other Christian Religious Terms

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

SACRED Defined for English Language Learners

sacred

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

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.