consecrate

2 of 2

verb

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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
Later that evening, Rocky himself made an appearance, effectively consecrating his own corner of the fair and Design.Space as a whole. Julissa James, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2025 Bergoglio was consecrated into the priesthood as a Jesuit, a religious order explicitly averse to moving up within the ranks of the church hierarchy. Timothy Nerozzi, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 28 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for consecrate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for consecrate
Adjective
  • An irresistible, holy spectacle.
    The New Yorker, New Yorker, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Or does Lux ask us to crane our necks to appreciate base human longing that presents in ecstatic and horrific manifestations, in the hunger for all sorts of holy and unsavory connections?
    Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Faced with a highly dynamic and competitive market, many CEOs are dedicating more time to thinking about, setting and executing strategy.
    Sarah Abbott, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
  • Activists’ calls for more attention on the cases led to federal officials from former President Joe Biden’s administration dedicating more resources and initiatives to addressing missing and killed Indigenous people.
    Nicquel Terry Ellis, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • As long as the message hasn’t changed and people are still blessed and inspired, that’s all that matters.
    Kyle Denis, Billboard, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Sands points to data showing that the world has gotten substantially better at finding people with TB since the World Health Organization blessed the AI technology in 2021 and released a toolkit on how to properly calibrate it to each local population and setting.
    NPR, NPR, 6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • That all being said, November 1st is sacred.
    Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Those individuals do not necessarily share the view that the Jewish people still share a sacred covenant with God.
    Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 7 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • As law enforcement in Las Vegas looks back on the explosion, Sheriff McMahill, himself an Army veteran, said that Livelsberger’s story is a harsh reminder of the obligation this nation has to take care of the soldiers who devote themselves to keeping this country safe.
    Tonya Simpson, ABC News, 11 Nov. 2025
  • The city is devoting 12 inspectors to the effort — six teams of two.
    David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Visitors who have had their fill of the beach can explore the Port Aransas Museum and Chapel on the Dunes, the oldest consecrated church on Mustang Island.
    Gabi De la Rosa, Southern Living, 7 Nov. 2025
  • But there is more: a little way back from the water, knuckle-like boulders of sandstone or some other friable rock sharpen the ambience of a consecrated space.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Consecrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/consecrate. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.

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