sacrosanct

adjective

sac·​ro·​sanct ˈsa-krō-ˌsaŋ(k)t 

1

: most sacred or holy : inviolable

2

: treated as if holy : immune from criticism or violation

politically sacrosanct programs

sacrosanctity

ˌsa-krō-ˈsaŋ(k)-tə-tē 

noun

Did you know?

Contrary to the beliefs of some, language is not sacrosanct; rather, it is subject to constant modification based on the needs, experiences, and even whims of those who use it. Take the word sacrosanct itself, which likely comes from the Latin phrase sacro sanctus meaning “made holy by a sacred rite.” There’s a definite semantic softening from that to the “too important and respected to be changed or criticized” meaning of sacrosanct. But holy moly, has sanctus led to a whole bunch of other English words with truly pious flavor, from saint and sanctimony to sanctify and sanctuary. Sacrum (“a sacred rite”), whence came the sacro in sacro sanctus, is no slouch either, living on in English anatomy as the name for our pelvic vertebrae—a shortening of os sacrum, which literally means “holy bone.”

Synonyms

• hallowed
• holy
• inviolable
• sacred
• unassailable
• untouchable

Examples of sacrosanct in a Sentence

the government's most sacrosanct institutions

The tradition is regarded as sacrosanct.

Recent Examples on the Web

The owner had made his money in the food industry, thus this space was sacrosanct. —Kevin Koenig, Robb Report, 9 July 2024

Rittenhouse soon took on celebrity status in right-wing circles where the right to bear arms and use them to defend life and property is sacrosanct. —Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA TODAY, 24 Apr. 2024

The idea that physicists are free to choose their measurement settings, the notion of a universe that is local and obeys Albert Einstein’s laws, and the expectation that the outcome of a measurement one makes is true for all observers all seem sacrosanct on their face. —Anil Ananthaswamy, Scientific American, 25 June 2024

The right to life being the source of all rights, the property necessary to sustain life was sacrosanct. —Janice Rogers Brown, National Review, 22 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin sacrosanctus, probably from sacro sanctus hallowed by a sacred rite

First Known Use

1601, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

sacrosanct

adjective

sac·​ro·​sanct ˈsak-rō-ˌsaŋ(k)t 

: most sacred, holy, or respected : inviolable

sacrosanctity

ˌsak-rō-ˈsaŋ(k)-tət-ē 

noun