sacrosanct
adjective
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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.”
Examples of sacrosanct in a Sentence
Dallas Morning News, Twin Cities, 24 May 2025
Executives' compensation is tied to cash returns not production targets with dividends now sacrosanct.
—Amala Balakrishner, CNBC, 5 May 2025
States, for their part, were entrusted with full control over public K-12 curricula, while private schools and colleges were considered sacrosanct.
—Matthew Scogin, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025
Lamar had watched Williams do the crip walk, a West Coast dance move that originated with first-generation members of the Crips, a Los Angeles gang, on the supposedly sacrosanct Wimbledon surface after winning the gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sacrosanct
Cite this Entry
“Sacrosanct.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sacrosanct. Accessed 12 Jul. 2025.
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