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sacrilege

noun
sac·​ri·​lege | \ ˈsa-krə-lij How to pronounce sacrilege (audio) \

Definition of sacrilege

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
Synonyms & Antonyms Why is sacrilegious not spelled sacreligious? Example Sentences Learn More about sacrilege

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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.

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
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Recent Examples on the Web

 Reviewers who controlled film culture’s secular narrative praised Reygadas for agnosticism that verged on sacrilege. — Armond White, National Review, "Franco Zeffirelli: Unlikely Conservative Hero," 20 June 2019 At the climax, the priest destroys the altar in an act of horrifying sacrilege. — Aja Romano, Vox, "Leonard Bernstein gave American music so much more than West Side Story.," 25 Aug. 2018 The two films do share a producer, Genki Kawamura, but the comparison otherwise feels like sacrilege. — Justin Chang, latimes.com, "Time-travel romance, but no magic, in the Japanese anime 'Fireworks'," 2 July 2018 That sounds like sacrilege, to say that all the impressive achievements of deep learning amount to just fitting a curve to data. — Kevin Hartnett, The Atlantic, "How a Pioneer of Machine Learning Became One of Its Sharpest Critics," 19 May 2018 The giant speakers hanging on both sides of the stage can strike an opera fan as a sacrilege, and the amplification is at cross-purposes with the auditorium's exquisite acoustical capabilities. — Deanna Isaacs, Chicago Reader, "Lyric’s Jesus Christ is, indeed, a superstar," 1 May 2018 Some consider this sacrilege, the chile masking the flavor of the fish. — Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, "Rice Balls, Subtle and Showy Alike, at Omusubi Gonbei," 12 Apr. 2018 While Muslims regard Christ as a prophet, Islamic religious scholars and clerics generally regard the depiction of human forms of prophets as a sacrilege. — Shane Harris, WSJ, "Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Identified as Buyer of Record-Breaking da Vinci," 8 Dec. 2017 The leather sold at Zara or H&M or other mass-market places is kind of a sacrilege. — Sarah Moroz, The Cut, "This Dreamy New Beauty Line Wants to Make the Planet a Better Place," 23 Oct. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sacrilege.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of sacrilege

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for sacrilege

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

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More Definitions for sacrilege

sacrilege

noun
How to pronounce sacrilege (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of sacrilege

: an act of treating a holy place or object in a way that does not show proper respect

See the full definition for sacrilege in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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More from Merriam-Webster on sacrilege

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for sacrilege

Spanish Central: Translation of sacrilege

Nglish: Translation of sacrilege for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of sacrilege for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about sacrilege

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