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
The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. Kary Love, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025 Griswold—whose father, once the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, consecrated the denomination’s first openly gay bishop—treats the pastors generously, though gingerly, constructing from their lowest moments an affecting study of sacred life in sacrilegious times. Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 2 Aug. 2024 See All Example Sentences for consecrate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for consecrate
Adjective
  • As the world mourns Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday, age 88—a symbolic end following the Church’s holiest calendar.
    Gemma Allen, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025
  • Loading your audio article Pope Francis never visited California or his holy namesake’s city by the bay, but in many ways, the heart of his message made a tremendous imprint here.
    Julia Prodis Sulek, Mercury News, 21 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Colby College in Maine has dedicated a website to the church describing the various scenes and the 13 artists featured in the building.
    Ashley J. DiMella Fox News, FOXNews.com, 18 Apr. 2025
  • Rowling, who has dedicated much of her post-Harry Potter career to anti-transgender rhetoric, celebrated the decision and shared multiple victorious posts on social media.
    Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 18 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The visit was incredibly successful: the Pope was greeted by half of Timor-Leste’s population, blessing hundreds of thousands, having just visited three countries before arriving.
    Mandeep Rai, Forbes.com, 26 Apr. 2025
  • At 6ft 4in (193cm), O’Reilly is a physical presence both defending and attacking set pieces, something City are not especially blessed with, particularly with Rodri and Haaland out.
    Sam Lee, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Because what matters, what makes Caravaggio so much more than an illustrator, is less the realism of the sacred image than its translation — through the bodies and faces of ordinary people — from the time of the Gospels to now.
    Jason Farago, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2025
  • Across history, grief has long been honored as a sacred rite of passage.
    Devi Brown, Time, 24 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The organization devoted a team to research fan sections across college sports, European leagues and around the world, which eventually led to the concept for The Wall.
    Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 17 Apr. 2025
  • The store also devoted four windows on Fifth Avenue to the collection, which will remain through April 30.
    Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • However, the oil miraculously burned for eight days until new consecrated oil could be found.
    Chris Sims, The Indianapolis Star, 13 Dec. 2024
  • That was the most moving moment of the day for Marie Capucine, 37, a consecrated virgin representing her Parisian parish of Saint Germain des Prés at the reopening.
    THOMAS ADAMSON AND SYLVIE CORBET THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, arkansasonline.com, 9 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • Bobby manages to save Chimney, who falls ill and starts coughing up blood while responding to the lab blaze.
    Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2025
  • Governments couldn’t borrow money at home or abroad to save the banks or to meet their debt obligations, much less to spend their way out of the recession.
    JAVIER CORRALES, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Consecrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/consecrate. Accessed 1 May. 2025.

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