What does sacrilege mean?
Sacrilege is a noun for an act that dishonors or profanes something regarded as sacred. Its most traditional use concerns disrespect toward a place, object, practice, or belief connected with religion, as when damaging a temple or treating a sacred text with contempt. More broadly, writers use the word for actions perceived to violate deeply held moral or cultural values, especially when describing changes that seem to insult tradition or collective identity. The word often conveys outrage and moral seriousness, rather than mere carelessness or disagreement. Related forms include the adjective sacrilegious and the adverb sacrilegiously. In everyday English, sacrilege is uncommon but unmistakable: it marks conduct that insults a community's most respected principles or institutions.
An act of treating something sacred with disrespect or irreverence, especially by damaging, defacing, or misusing a religious place or object.
"The deliberate mutilation of the statue was condemned as sacrilege."
This is the traditional religious sense and is usually more formal and emphatic than ordinary disapproval.
An action that is regarded as a profound violation of religious belief, moral standards, or revered cultural traditions.
"Critics described the commercialization of the ritual as sacrilege."
In figurative use, the word implies that something deeply valued has been dishonored.
The plural is used for individual acts or instances of sacrilege.
"The novel explores several sacrileges against religious tradition."
Sacrilege is an insult to what a community holds sacred—from a revered shrine to an inherited moral value.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does sacrilege come from?
Sacrilege comes from Latin sacrilegium, a compound formed from sacer, meaning “sacred,” and legere, meaning “to gather, pick up, or steal.” The term originally referred to the removal or theft of sacred objects and developed into a broader sense of religious offense or desecration. It entered English through Old French and has cognates in related Romance languages.
Related word forms
How sacrilege is actually used
The word is strongly evaluative and usually carries a serious or indignant tone. In religious contexts it refers specifically to irreverence toward sacred things; in broader literary and political contexts, it can describe perceived violations of revered moral traditions.
Easily confused with sacrilege
Sacrilege is a noun naming an act of disrespect toward something sacred, whereas sacrilegious is an adjective describing a person, act, or attitude as showing such disrespect.