# sacrilege

/ˈsækɹəɫədʒ/ (US) · /sˈækɹɪlˌɪdʒ/ (UK) · CEFR C1 · Noun

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/sacrilege
Updated: 2026-10-16

## Definition

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.

For teachers: 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.

## Synonyms

desecration, blasphemy, irreverence

## Usage notes

- Commonly collocates with 'commit' and 'consider' ('commit sacrilege', 'consider it sacrilege to').

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.