Dictionary

sacrilege en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈsækɹəlɪd͡ʒ/ (General-American)
• /ˈsækɹɪlɪd͡ʒ/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (General-American) audio

Etymology

Circa 1300, original sense “stealing something sacred”. From Middle English sacrilege, from Old French sacrilege, from Latin sacrilegium, from sacrilegus (“sacrilegious”). Sense of “profanation” from late 14th century.

Meanings

1. (uncountable, usually) Desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something regarded as sacred.
   • I recall the height of comfort attained by the green-cushioned "first" with starched white antimacassars and a pretentious grey floor mat on which it seemed a sacrilege to stand, as it was embellished with the North Western conception of Britannia, complete with trident. 1951 October, R. S. McNaught, “Lines of Approach”, in Railway Magazine, pages 703-704:

Forms

Antonyms

worship · veneration · reverence · adoration

Deriveds

sacrileger · sacrilegist · sacrilegious

Hypernyms

irreverence · action · ridicule · violation

Relateds

profaneness · impiety · corruption

Synonyms

desecration · sacrilege · blasphemy · blasphemy · profanation

Translations (55)

kk ардақты нәрсені қорлаушылық (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · ast sacrilexu (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · kk күпірлік (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · id sakrilegi (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · nb helligbrød (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · fi pyhäinhäväistys (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · nl heiligschennis (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · bg светота́тство (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · ru святота́тство (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · pl profanacja (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · sv hädelse (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · cs svatokrádež (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · cmn 冒瀆 /冒渎 (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · pl blasfemia (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · be блюзьне́рства (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · pl bluźnierstwo (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · ar تَدْنِيس (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · uk святота́тство (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · kk ерекше қадірлі нәрсені қорлаушылық (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · da helligbrøde (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · mk сквернавење (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · io sakrilejo (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · oc sacrilègi (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · it sacrilegio (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · hy սրբապղծություն (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · sh svetogrđe (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · ja 冒涜 (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · be святата́цтва (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · grc ἱεροσυλία (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · es sacrilegio (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · la sacrilegium (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · ca sacrilegi (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · sl bogokletstvo (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · ko 모독 (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · hu szentségtörés (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · el ιεροσυλία (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · pt sacrilégio (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · ru кощу́нство (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · be блюзне́рства (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · sl svetoskrunstvo (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · de Sakrileg (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · sv helgerån (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · ro sacrilegiu (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · fr sacrilège (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · uk блюзнірство (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · pl świętokradztwo (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · bg кощу́нство (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · gl sacrilexio (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · sk svätokrádež (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · et pühaduseteotus (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · sv skändlighet (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · sh светогрђе (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · kk қасиетті нәрсені масқаралаушылық (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · ar تَرْجِيس (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred) · eo sakrilegio (desecration, profanation, misuse or violation of something sacred)