Synonyms of consecrate

consecrate 1 of 2

adjective

ˈkän(t)-sə-ˌkrāt 

as in holy

set apart or worthy of veneration by association with God

the consecrate gold tablets which Joseph Smith claimed to have found

Synonyms & Similar Words

• holy
• sacred
• consecrated
• venerated
• liturgical
• sacral
• blessed
• sanctified
• revered
• sacrosanct
• religious
• hallowed
• biblical
• ceremonial
• spiritual
• ritual
• sacramental
• priestly
• adored
• worshipped
• scriptural
• enshrined
• glorified

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unconsecrated
• unhallowed
• earthly
• desacralized
• secular
• deconsecrated
• temporal
• nonreligious
• worldly
• unspiritual
• mundane
• profane

consecrate

2 of 2

verb

1

as in to dedicate

to keep or intend for a special purpose

a philanthropist who consecrated his considerable fortune to an array of charitable causes

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dedicate
• devote
• save
• allocate
• set by
• set apart
• give up (to)
• reserve
• set aside
• earmark
• bless
• use
• sanctify
• entrust
• hallow
• employ
• commit
• confide
• bestow
• apply
• consign

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ignore
• neglect
• misuse
• misapply

2

as in to bless

to make holy through prayers or ritual

plans to consecrate the altar in the new church with great ceremony

Synonyms & Similar Words

• bless
• dedicate
• sanctify
• hallow
• sacralize
• devote
• purify
• baptize
• spiritualize
• cleanse
• exorcise
• canonize
• chasten
• reconsecrate
• expurgate
• commit
• lustrate

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• desecrate
• defile
• soil
• violate
• profane
• pollute
• dirty
• deconsecrate
• desacralize
• taint
• desanctify
• blaspheme
• punish
• foul
• curse
• condemn
• cuss
• damn
• cast out
• execrate

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb consecrate contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of consecrate are dedicate, devote, and hallow. While all these words mean "to set apart for a special and often higher end," consecrate stresses investment with a solemn or sacred quality.

consecrate a church to the worship of God

When can dedicate be used instead of consecrate?

While the synonyms dedicate and consecrate are close in meaning, dedicate implies solemn and exclusive devotion to a sacred or serious use or purpose.

dedicated her life to medical research

When would devote be a good substitute for consecrate?

The meanings of devote and consecrate largely overlap; however, devote is likely to imply compelling motives and often attachment to an objective.

devoted his evenings to study

When is it sensible to use hallow instead of consecrate?

In some situations, the words hallow and consecrate are roughly equivalent. However, hallow, often differing little from dedicate or consecrate, may distinctively imply an attribution of intrinsic sanctity.

battlegrounds hallowed by the blood of patriots

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of consecrate

Adjective

Lana Del Rey doesn’t toy with signs—of American glamour and its decay, of female melancholia and racial desire—so much as consecrate them. — Lauren Michele Jackson, The New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2023

Verb

Lefebvre consecrated four bishops without papal consent in 1988. — Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026

Under the church’s in-house canon law, consecrating a bishop without papal consent incurs an automatic excommunication for both the people administering the consecration and the bishops receiving it. — ABC News, 1 July 2026