as in to violate
to remove the sacred qualities or status of
hoping to raise much-needed funds, the church elders deconsecrated the 18th-century silver chalice and consigned it to a high-end auction house
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Recent Examples of deconsecrate
Installed in a church, the artwork titled Silentium by French conceptual artist James Calomina, was exhibited in a former church in Toulouse that was deconsecrated.
—
The Editors Of Artnews, ARTnews.com, 6 Nov. 2024
But the seminal Spanish-language church was deconsecrated by the Archdiocese of New York in January, paving the way for its potential sale, alteration or demolition.
—John Freeman Gill, New York Times, 2 June 2023
Perhaps the best thing would be to deconsecrate the site and create a museum that explains what happened at the Valley itself.
—The Economist, 24 Oct. 2019
The church was deconsecrated in 2010, and the charter school arrived in 2013.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 13 Aug. 2019
In late July, about 70 former members were drawn back to the synagogue for a service to deconsecrate the synagogue.
—Karen Berkowitz, chicagotribune.com, 1 Aug. 2019
Whether a gutted and deconsecrated former church building fits the definition remains to be seen.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 3 June 2019
There is no single answer, but protest, not piety, seems to be a recurring theme—whether or not the venue is deconsecrated.
—Vogue, 24 Apr. 2018
The archdiocese, which had been bent on leveling the deconsecrated building, then reversed course and found a developer willing to convert the 19th century Polish church into apartments.
—Inga Saffron, Philly.com, 22 Mar. 2018
The Editors Of Artnews, ARTnews.com, 6 Nov. 2024
But the seminal Spanish-language church was deconsecrated by the Archdiocese of New York in January, paving the way for its potential sale, alteration or demolition.
—John Freeman Gill, New York Times, 2 June 2023
Perhaps the best thing would be to deconsecrate the site and create a museum that explains what happened at the Valley itself.
—The Economist, 24 Oct. 2019
The church was deconsecrated in 2010, and the charter school arrived in 2013.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 13 Aug. 2019
In late July, about 70 former members were drawn back to the synagogue for a service to deconsecrate the synagogue.
—Karen Berkowitz, chicagotribune.com, 1 Aug. 2019
Whether a gutted and deconsecrated former church building fits the definition remains to be seen.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 3 June 2019
There is no single answer, but protest, not piety, seems to be a recurring theme—whether or not the venue is deconsecrated.
—Vogue, 24 Apr. 2018
The archdiocese, which had been bent on leveling the deconsecrated building, then reversed course and found a developer willing to convert the 19th century Polish church into apartments.
—Inga Saffron, Philly.com, 22 Mar. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deconsecrate
Verb
-
By crossing multiple red lines — violating Iran’s sovereignty, expanding extrajudicial killings, and striking nuclear, energy, and civilian infrastructure — Israel has drawn widespread ire.—
Faisal J. Abbas,
semafor.com,
17 June 2025
-
Seven residents sued, claiming that the book removals were based on content and therefore violated their First Amendment rights.—
Anthony Aycock
June 17,
Literary Hub,
17 June 2025
Verb
-
Aguilar thinks the basilica should be desacralized and turned into a museum.—
Stephania Taladrid,
The New Yorker,
26 Oct. 2019
-
Rumor and street culture—jokes, postcards, sayings, bawdy plays performed in saloons—changed the image of the czar and the czarina, desacralized them, before and during the war.—
Olga Ingurazova,
Smithsonian,
29 Sep. 2017
Cite this Entry
“Deconsecrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deconsecrate. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
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