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Sacred

adj. thoughtful, calm formal

What it means

Meaning 1

Set apart as holy within a religious or spiritual tradition.

Reach for it when speaking of a place, object, practice, or promise that receives religious reverence

Pilgrims removed their shoes before entering the sacred chamber.

Meaning 2

Held to be so precious that it must not be violated or traded away.

Reach for it when stressing a value, duty, trust, or memory that deserves exceptional protection

For the archivist, the promise to preserve every testimony was sacred.

Words to choose between 8

By register, from playful at the top to literary at the bottom, and by meaning across. Tap a word to see when it fits.
Meaning 1Meaning 2
everyday
warm
professional
formal
literary

Meaning 1: Set apart as holy within a religious or spiritual tradition.

  • formal

    consecrated

    Fits when a rite has formally dedicated something to religion

    Careful Nothing is consecrated merely because people value it deeply.

  • formal

    holy

    Fits when divine association is explicit

    Careful A beloved secular custom can be sacred without being holy.

  • literary

    hallowed

    Fits when history and reverence have gathered around a place or memory

    Careful Hallowed sounds ceremonial beside a private but inviolable promise.

Meaning 2: Held to be so precious that it must not be violated or traded away.

  • everyday

    precious

    Fits when personal value and tenderness matter most

    Careful Expensive materials may be precious while lacking any sacred claim.

  • warm

    cherished

    Fits when affection explains why something is protected

    Careful Cherished allows change or loss that sacred language may treat as unthinkable.

  • warm

    revered

    Fits when people openly honor a person, text, or tradition

    Careful Public admiration need not place its object beyond ordinary use.

  • professional

    inviolable

    Fits when a right or principle must never be breached

    Careful Inviolable states a boundary but carries no spiritual warmth.

  • formal

    sacrosanct

    Fits when a rule or principle is treated as untouchable

    Careful The term often carries skeptical emphasis and can imply excessive rigidity.

Opposites 4

  • profane
  • secular
  • disposable
  • violable

Common phrases 4

  • sacred place

    The sacred place remained open to visitors who observed its customs.

  • sacred tradition

    A sacred tradition connected the ceremony with generations past.

  • sacred duty

    She treated accurate witness as a sacred duty.

  • hold sacred

    The community continued to hold sacred each family's right to mourn privately.

Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Xnux, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, public domain Updated