Sacred
adj.thoughtful, calmformal
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.
Choose between these
3- formal
consecrated
when a rite has formally dedicated something to religion
not when Nothing is consecrated merely because people value it deeply.
- formal
when divine association is explicit
not when A beloved secular custom can be sacred without being holy.
- literary
when history and reverence have gathered around a place or memory
not when 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.
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.
Choose between these
5- everyday
when personal value and tenderness matter most
not when Expensive materials may be precious while lacking any sacred claim.
- warm
when affection explains why something is protected
not when Cherished allows change or loss that sacred language may treat as unthinkable.
- warm
revered
when people openly honor a person, text, or tradition
not when Public admiration need not place its object beyond ordinary use.
- professional
when a right or principle must never be breached
not when Inviolable states a boundary but carries no spiritual warmth.
- formal
sacrosanct
when a rule or principle is treated as untouchable
not when The term often carries skeptical emphasis and can imply excessive rigidity.
Said against
4- profane
- secular
- disposable
- violable
It naturally appears in
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.
Where this comes from
- wiktionary, English adjective, holy or consecrated sense opens in a new tab for meaning 1 · retrieved 2026-07-26
- wiktionary, English adjective, regarded with the highest respect sense opens in a new tab for meaning 2 · retrieved 2026-07-26
The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.