DECONSECRATE Synonyms: 21 Similar and Opposite Words

deconsecrate

verb

(ˌ)dē-ˈkän(t)-sə-ˌkrāt

Definition of deconsecrate

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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Example Sentences

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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 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

In a filing late Tuesday, administration lawyers argued that the ban does not violate the First Amendment, which guarantees the right to a free press.

— JOCELYN NOVECK, Arkansas Online, 24 Sep. 2026
The Southern Environmental Law Center, a large environment watchdog, just filed a lawsuit alleging the OpenAI deal violated Georgia sunshine laws that guarantee public access to government meetings and records.

— AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of violate

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