sacrilege

noun

sac·​ri·​lege ˈsa-krə-lij 

1

: a technical and not necessarily intrinsically outrageous violation (such as improper reception of a sacrament) of what is sacred because consecrated to God

2

: gross irreverence toward a hallowed person, place, or thing

Did you know?

Why is sacrilegious not spelled sacreligious?

Sacrilegious is often used in reference to religion, or to religious things, so it is easy to see why people might be confused by its spelling. However, sacrilegious and religious are not from the same roots. Religious comes from the Latin word religio (“reverence, religion”), whereas sacrilegious and the related noun sacrilege come from Latin roots meaning “sacred” (sacr-) and “to steal” (legere).

The earliest sense of sacrilege, in use since the beginning of the 14th century, was concerned with the theft, misuse, or desecration of sacred or holy things. It still is used in this sense quite often, but has also taken on a broader meaning, in which it refers to irreverence to a person, place, or thing which may or may not have religious significance.

Synonyms of sacrilege

• blasphemy
• desecration
• violation
• cursing
• profanation
• impiety
• corruption

Examples of sacrilege in a Sentence

They accused him of committing a sacrilege.

They accused him of sacrilege.

an act of sacrilege against the church

Recent Examples on the Web

At issue was Sheikh Dibo’s description of the prayer that locals tend to say when visiting a grave; to the ISIS member, such prayers were sacrilege. —Anand Gopal, New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2026

That’s the ultimate Hollywood sacrilege. —Pat Saperstein, Variety, 20 Feb. 2026

Doing anything else would be sacrilege to the faithful, as well as false to the friendship that exists at the center of this Broadway behemoth. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 18 Nov. 2025

In 1998, the Lucky Chances casino opened, surrounded by graveyards on three side, which critics saw as a sacrilege. —Chris Kenning, USA Today, 25 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin sacrilegium, from sacrilegus one who robs sacred property, from sacr-, sacer + legere to gather, steal — more at legend

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

sacrilege

noun

sac·​ri·​lege ˈsak-rə-lij 

: theft or violation of something sacred

sacrilegious

ˌsak-rə-ˈlij-əs  -ˈlē-jəs 

adjective

sacrilegiously adverb

sacrilegiousness noun