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
  • Even Joe — who, for the love of all that is holy, just wants his goddamn air fryer back — can’t help but point out how little Rose has visited.
    Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 4 May 2025
  • Although the proximate cause of the Crimean War in the mid-19th century was a dispute between Russia and the Ottoman Empire over control of Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, historians also attribute the conflict to geopolitical rivalries and imperial ambitions.
    Scott Neuman, NPR, 30 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • That milestone was recognized at the start of this past season, with the Heat dedicating its home court to Riley.
    Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 13 May 2025
  • By cutting $260 million, ARPA-E can dedicate its resources to funding a narrower set of high-risk, high-reward programs that could make a significant contribution to America’s energy goals.
    Jack Spencer, Boston Herald, 13 May 2025
Verb
  • The pope who blessed Rome gave his blessing to the world, to the entire world, that Easter morning.
    Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 9 May 2025
  • Their prayers were answered and they were blessed with a boy child, or in the case of Rachel with two sons.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 9 May 2025
Adjective
  • While the team of researchers hailed the success of the telescope, the road to its construction was marked by years of protests against the placement of yet another massive device on what many native Hawaiians view as sacred land.
    Alana Wise, NPR, 3 May 2025
  • Leave it to Taurus Season — the first Earth sign of the astrological year — to give us a bit more sacred stillness and space to just be.
    Colin Bedell, Them., 2 May 2025
Verb
  • Arantxa devotes half her verse to saying her name, Dovima looks bored, Vulcano is an awkward, lumbering giant, and everyone looks like they’re dressed for a different universe.
    Barry Levitt, Vulture, 12 May 2025
  • Some 41 years later in 2024 and have devoted herself to a successful political career, adult Marlene strives to make meaningful societal change.
    Alex Ritman, Variety, 12 May 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
  • To say that is an insult to the years of painful work my wife has done to save herself.
    Jay Stahl, USA Today, 17 May 2025
  • As the public feud continued, privately a small group that included Foreman started to think of ways to save the track.
    Dana O'Neil, New York Times, 16 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Consecrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/consecrate. Accessed 20 May. 2025.

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