1
as in holy
not to be violated, criticized, or tampered with
the sacred trust that exists between elected officials and the electorate
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Relevance
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2
as in divine
of, relating to, or being God
a sacred name that must not be uttered in vain
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3
as in religious
of, relating to, or used in the practice or worship services of a religion
a sacred chalice
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4
as in venerated
set apart or worthy of veneration by association with God
the sacred bones of a saint
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5
as in venerable
deserving honor and respect especially by reason of age
the alumni procession at graduation is one of the college's most sacred traditions, dating back over a hundred years
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sacred
Shiites hold their most sacred and emotionally charged annual ritual — Ashura — to commemorate Hussein’s death, honoring him as a galvanizing symbol of the fight against oppression.
—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
22 June 2026
Shugendō, a mix of Shintoism, Buddhism and Taoism, involves hiking in sacred mountains in order to attain spiritual enlightenment.
—
Catherine Heald,
Travel + Leisure,
22 June 2026
That fragility makes this year’s Juneteenth observance feel even more urgent, reminding us that even sacred public places can’t be taken for granted.
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Christina Ray Stanton,
New York Daily News,
19 June 2026
Visitors stroll from room to room, surrounded by stained glass and sacred cremains, serving witness to moving and often head-scratching performances.
—
Randy McMullen,
Mercury News,
18 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for sacred
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
22 June 2026
Shugendō, a mix of Shintoism, Buddhism and Taoism, involves hiking in sacred mountains in order to attain spiritual enlightenment.
—
Catherine Heald,
Travel + Leisure,
22 June 2026
That fragility makes this year’s Juneteenth observance feel even more urgent, reminding us that even sacred public places can’t be taken for granted.
—
Christina Ray Stanton,
New York Daily News,
19 June 2026
Visitors stroll from room to room, surrounded by stained glass and sacred cremains, serving witness to moving and often head-scratching performances.
—
Randy McMullen,
Mercury News,
18 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for sacred
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sacred
Adjective
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The Temple Mount movement — a loose coalition of Israeli religious and nationalist organizations — harbors a potentially explosive mix of prophecy and politics that aims to upend some 1,300 years of Muslim control over the third-holiest site in Islam and the holiest one for Jews.
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For example, the Life of Saint Æthelwold is a tenth-century biography that narrates the holy life of an English bishop.
Adjective
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For virtually all of human history, people were subjects of kings or rulers who claimed divine and unquestioned power.
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The labor of these aging world-builders becomes a blueprint to navigate memory, legacy, and mortality, revealing the divine spirit residing in their daily lives.
Adjective
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Americans are more likely than not to favor religious expression in public schools, though most agree participation should be voluntary, a national survey has found.
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That they are entitled to not wear the uniforms, that they’re entitled to express their religious beliefs.
Adjective
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On the night of June 15, a Russian drone directly hit the most venerated site for Ukraine’s majority Orthodox Christians, and indeed for much of Eastern Christendom.
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To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the landmark live release, Frampton recounts his history in bands The Herd and Humble Pie before striking stadium-sellout gold as a solo star with venerated guitar chops and an inventive talk box.
Adjective
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That exceeds the payload capacity of both the B-2 and B-21 and even surpasses the venerable B-52 in several mission configurations.
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The British luxury marque has just unveiled a new variant of its venerable grand tourer called the Bespoke Series by Mulliner.
Adjective
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By the end of the movie, even something as natural as daylight has become suffused with a heavenly glow, and the beads of sweat on a dying body sparkle with a beauty that Emily had never been able to find anywhere else in her tragedy of a life.
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Don't forget your in-flight comfort — this heavenly memory foam travel pillow is discounted to just $10.
Adjective
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The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on Tuesday that practitioners of the Falun Gong spiritual movement cannot sue tech giant Cisco over allegations of aiding the Chinese government’s surveillance and torture of the group.
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The 1970s were thick with New Age spiritual fads and movements, from the benign (crystals) to the unspeakably toxic and cultic (Jonestown).
Adjective
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The Vatican authorized Esperanto for liturgical use decades ago, and Radio Vaticana still publishes news and papal updates in Esperanto online three times a week.
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Leo presided over the service sitting off to the side of the altar on a white throne, wearing his formal red cape and liturgical stole and praying with a Rosary in his hands.
Cite this Entry
“Sacred.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sacred. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
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