sacred
/ˈseɪkrɪd
/adjective
1Connected with God or a god or dedicated to a religious purpose and so deserving veneration: sacred rites the site at Eleusis is sacred to Demeter...
- It is a work dedicated essentially to the greatness of the god Viu and is, therefore, particularly sacred to Vaiavas, worshippers of Viu.
- Indeed, every cooking bowl in Jerusalem and throughout Judah would be sacred to God.
- We mark that this day was sacred to the goddess Venus, to whom the Phoenicians consecrated the fish.
Synonyms
holy, hallowed, blessed, blest, consecrated, sanctified, dedicated, venerated, revered
1.1Religious rather than secular: sacred music...
- Music, sacred or secular, was one of his greatest pleasures.
- The choir's repertoire includes sacred and secular music ranging from the 16th century to the present day and in a wide range of musical styles and languages.
- The special advent choral concert will be conducted by Peter Frost and includes sacred and secular music from early and modern composers.
Synonyms
religious, spiritual, devotional, church, churchly, ecclesiastical
1.2(Of writing or text) embodying the laws or doctrines of a religion: a sacred Hindu text...
- States have constitutions, political parties their manifestos and religions have sacred texts to guide their policies and action from time to time.
- I'm absolutely sure about that and it's in all the literature in the ancient, sacred writings of all religions.
- For instance, the sacred texts of many religions offer compelling narratives which, at their best, can promote ethical reflection and a sense of shared experience.
1.3Regarded with great respect and reverence by a particular religion, group, or individual: cows are sacred and the eating of beef is taboo...
- Cows are regarded as sacred animals in my religion.
- Everyone should respect whatever is held sacred by any other individual.
- A rare ritual burial of four horses has been discovered in an area experts regard as a sacred landscape surrounding one of the most important prehistoric sites in the North of England.
1.4Regarded as too valuable to be interfered with; sacrosanct: to a police officer nothing is sacred...
- I should have never let my father interfere with our sacred bond.
- However, if life is seen as something valuable and sacred, to destroy an embryo is unethical and morally wrong.
- However, as Aristotle says, ‘It is sacred to honor truth above friendship.’
Synonyms
sacrosanct, inviolable, inviolate, unimpeachable, invulnerable, untouchable, inalienable, protected, defended, secure, safe, unthreatened
Derivatives
sacredly
- Where, then, do we have an outlet to express our deepest beliefs, those things we hold most sacredly and, therefore, most passionately?
- However sacredly boomers regard their nostalgia, it turns out their children regard it as more precious than their own.
- For all the things that are sacredly religious about Christmas, there are two more things that aren't.
sacredness
/ noun ...- I've been so impressed over the years with the fact that the pagan religions are able to see the sacredness and the spiritual in every single dimension of life, without exception.
- God's creation of all persons in the divine image bestows sacredness upon human beings and thus makes them the children of God.
- The universality, the sacredness, and the divine origin of freedom are enshrined in our founding document.
Origin
Late Middle English: past participle of archaic sacre 'consecrate', from Old French sacrer, from Latin sacrare, from sacer, sacr- 'holy'.