Word
sacrilege
Phoneticssac·ri·lege, stress on the first syllable
US/ˈsækɹəɫədʒ/
UK/sˈækɹɪlˌɪdʒ/
Countable & uncountable
Definition
n. rude or careless treatment of something holy or deeply respected, like a church or religious object. You use it when someone shows deep disrespect for what others hold sacred.
n. violation or disrespectful treatment of something sacred or regarded as sacred. Extends by analogy to deeply revered secular principles or institutions.
Examples
“They call it sacrilege to eat inside the old temple.”
“The community saw the graffiti on the church wall as sacrilege and quickly cleaned it off.”
“To sell the medieval altarpiece to a private collector struck many parishioners as sacrilege, a betrayal of generations who had worshipped before it.”
Examples
simple
“They call it sacrilege to eat inside the old temple.”
contextual
“The community saw the graffiti on the church wall as sacrilege and quickly cleaned it off.”
complex
“To sell the medieval altarpiece to a private collector struck many parishioners as sacrilege, a betrayal of generations who had worshipped before it.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “sacrilege” in context.
Verb
01. border on sacrilege
“Replacing the ancient choir with pop music would border on sacrilege.”
verb + prep + noun
02. commit sacrilege
“By stealing relics from the altar, the thieves committed sacrilege.”
verb + noun
03. condemn sacrilege
“Religious leaders swiftly condemned the sacrilege at the holy site.”
verb + noun
04. regard as sacrilege
“Many believers regard eating meat on that holy day as sacrilege.”
verb + prep + noun
Adjective
05. blatant sacrilege
“Turning the sacred shrine into a nightclub was blatant sacrilege.”
adj + noun
06. perceived sacrilege
“The artist's remix of the hymn caused outrage as a perceived sacrilege.”
adj + noun
Noun
07. accusation of sacrilege
“The novel faced an accusation of sacrilege from religious critics.”
noun + prep + noun
08. act of sacrilege
“Defacing the tombstones was condemned as an act of sacrilege.”
noun + prep + noun
09. form of sacrilege
“Critics called the demolition a form of sacrilege against heritage.”
noun + prep + noun
10. accuse someone of sacrilege
“Extremists accused the filmmaker of sacrilege over the satire.”
11. commit an act of sacrilege
“The vandals committed an act of sacrilege by spray-painting the mosque.”
12. nothing short of sacrilege
“To locals, closing the historic chapel is nothing short of sacrilege.”
Usage
Commonly collocates with 'commit' and 'consider' ('commit sacrilege', 'consider it sacrilege to').
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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Synonyms
Related words
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
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