sacrilege

noun

sac·​ri·​lege ˈsa-krə-lij 

1

: a technical and not necessarily intrinsically outrageous violation (such as improper reception of a sacrament) of what is sacred because consecrated to God

2

: gross irreverence toward a hallowed person, place, or thing

Did you know?

Why is sacrilegious not spelled sacreligious?

Sacrilegious is often used in reference to religion, or to religious things, so it is easy to see why people might be confused by its spelling. However, sacrilegious and religious are not from the same roots. Religious comes from the Latin word religio (“reverence, religion”), whereas sacrilegious and the related noun sacrilege come from Latin roots meaning “sacred” (sacr-) and “to steal” (legere).

The earliest sense of sacrilege, in use since the beginning of the 14th century, was concerned with the theft, misuse, or desecration of sacred or holy things. It still is used in this sense quite often, but has also taken on a broader meaning, in which it refers to irreverence to a person, place, or thing which may or may not have religious significance.

Synonyms

• blasphemy
• defilement
• desecration
• impiety
• irreverence
• profanation

Examples of sacrilege in a Sentence

They accused him of committing a sacrilege.

They accused him of sacrilege.

an act of sacrilege against the church

Recent Examples on the Web

On a warm March day—the kind that makes being indoors feel sacrilege—we were told to pack up for at least two weeks away and leave campus as soon as possible. —Grace McCarty, SELF, 9 Oct. 2024

But there has been fierce resistance along the way, particularly from some fellow surfers who think the whole idea of turning an intimate, almost zen-like communion with nature into a competition is sacrilege. —Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 26 July 2024

This kind of thing, sacrilege when a lot of us were growing up around here, is more common nowadays. —Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 7 July 2024

Gutiérrez has also done something that some might consider a sacrilege. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 19 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin sacrilegium, from sacrilegus one who robs sacred property, from sacr-, sacer + legere to gather, steal — more at legend

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

sacrilege

noun

sac·​ri·​lege ˈsak-rə-lij 

: theft or violation of something sacred

sacrilegious

ˌsak-rə-ˈlij-əs  -ˈlē-jəs 

adjective

sacrilegiously adverb

sacrilegiousness noun