sacred Definition
sa·cred (sā′krid)
adjective
- consecrated to or belonging to the divinity or a deity; holy
- of or connected with religion or religious rites a sacred song
- regarded with the respect or reverence accorded holy things; venerated; hallowed
- set apart for, and dedicated to, some person, place, purpose, sentiment, etc. sacred to his memory
- secured as by a religious feeling or sense of justice against any defamation, violation, or intrusion; inviolate
Etymology: ME < pp. of sacren, to consecrate < OFr sacrer < L sacrare < sacer, holy < ? IE base *sak-, to sanctify, make a compact > ON sāttr, reconciled, Hittite šakliš, law, ritual
sacred Related Forms
sa′·credly adverb
sa′·cred·ness noun
sacred Synonyms
sacred
modif.
sacred Usage Examples
Modifying Another Word
- almost: It starts with a chord which seems mystical - almost sacred.
- especially: In this connection the number seven became especially sacred with them, and ever preserved its importance with the astrologers.
- truly: As with all truly sacred places, the points where veins of primary water exited the Medicine Wheel were clearly marked.
- too: The saint with a tile loose is a bit too sacred, I guess, to be parodied.
- once: It is said that Siamese were once sacred cats, guarding the Buddhist temples.
- so: What is so sacred about Thursday, you might ask?
Adjective complement with noun phrase
- hold: Druids hold the land sacred, and honor the trees as symbols of the beauty and strength of creation.
- make: Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred?
Modifies a noun
- grove: There was a party of Druids walking down to the sacred grove to perform their daily rites.
- cow: Why is the car treated like a sacred cow?
- scripture: He was also a great man for interpreting sacred scripture for the benefit of the less learned.
- relic: The memory of this historic road will live on, tho: a handful of sacred relics were rescued shortly after it was downgraded.
- rite: How are we to utilize it, then, to prevent it from becoming the instrument of a sacred rite?
- geometry: Like the sacred geometry to be found in these cultures, Peter's painting provides an image for thought.
Used with adjective complement
- deem: But a place does not have to be deemed sacred by the masses for it to provide spiritual satisfaction for an individual.
- hold: In a single moment, everything that science held sacred suddenly turned on its head.
- consider: The Vatican Hill in Rome considered sacred to Peter was previously sacred to Mithras.
- regard: I was on the approximate crash site, standing on ground which must be regarded as sacred to any true Red.
- become: With respect for these holy people and religious values, people continued to protect and care for these trees, which became almost sacred.
- keep: We cannot at once keep sacred the miracle of existence and hold sacrosanct the capacity to destroy it.
Browse dictionary entries near sacred
- ‹ sacrarium
- ‹ Sacramento
- ‹ sacramentary
- ‹ sacramentarian
- ‹ sacramentalism
- ‹ sacramental
- ‹ sacrament
- ‹ sacralize
- ‹ sacral
- ‹ sacque
- sacred baboon ›
- Sacred College ›
- sacred cow ›
- sacrifice ›
- sacrifice bunt ›
- sacrifice fly ›
- sacrificed ›
- sacrificial ›
- sacrilege ›
- sacrilegious ›

