What does unconsecrate mean?
Unconsecrate means to remove the status of consecration or religious dedication from a place, object, or institution. It describes the formal reversal of an earlier act by which something was set apart as sacred, often allowing it to be used for ordinary or secular purposes. For example, a disused chapel might be unconsecrated before being converted into a community hall, while a former monastery might be unconsecrated and repurposed as housing. The word is more precise than simply saying that something has been made 'unholy': its starting point is a specific religious or ceremonial status that is formally withdrawn. The verb is mainly used in formal, literary, religious, and historical writing rather than everyday conversation. It can also serve as a broader metaphor for undoing a symbolic dedication or commitment, as when a critic says that commercial development has unconsecrated a landscape. Its paired adjective is 'unconsecrated'.
verbTo remove the status of consecration or dedication from something, thereby making it no longer sacred or religiously set apart.
- To remove the status of consecration from a place, object, or institution, making it available for ordinary or secular use.
- To withdraw a religious or ceremonial dedication from something that had previously been set apart for sacred purposes.
"The committee voted to unconsecrate the chapel and turn it into a community centre."
"Following the withdrawal of the religious order, the monastery was unconsecrated and converted into apartments."
"The scholar argued that secular education had effectively unconsecrated the language of public life."
To consecrate is to make something sacred; to unconsecrate is to formally take that status away.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does unconsecrate come from?
Unconsecrate was formed in English by adding the prefix un- to consecrate. The base verb comes from Latin consecrare, meaning 'to make sacred,' which was built from con- and sacrare, from sacer, 'sacred' or 'holy.' The prefixed form developed during the early modern period and became especially prominent in religious controversy and accounts of institutional or political change. Related English words include desecrate and sacrilege, all reflecting the Latin vocabulary of holiness and its violation.
Related word forms
How unconsecrate is actually used
This is a formal, literary, or specialized verb, used chiefly in religious, historical, and cultural contexts. It is normally transitive and is more specific than the broader, often more destructive verb 'desecrate'.
Easily confused with unconsecrate
Unconsecrate reverses a prior act of consecration, whereas desecrate generally means to damage, defile, or treat with disrespect something regarded as sacred.