sacrilegious

Also found in: Thesaurus, Legal, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

sac·ri·le·gious

(săk′rə-lĭj′əs, -lē′jəs)

adj.

Committing sacrilege or characterized by sacrilege.

sac′ri·le′gious·ly adv.

sac′ri·le′gious·ness n.

Usage Note: Sacrilegious, the adjective form of sacrilege, is often misspelled through confusion with religious.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

sacrilegious

(ˌsækrɪˈlɪdʒəs)

adj

1. of, relating to, or involving sacrilege; impious

2. guilty of sacrilege

ˌsacriˈlegiously adv

ˌsacriˈlegiousness n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

sac•ri•le•gious

(ˌsæk rəˈlɪdʒ əs, -ˈli dʒəs)

adj.

1. involving sacrilege.

2. guilty of sacrilege.

[1400–50]

sac`ri•le′gious•ly, adv.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Adj.

sacrilegious - grossly irreverent toward what is held to be sacred; "blasphemous rites of a witches' Sabbath"; "profane utterances against the Church"; "it is sacrilegious to enter with shoes on"

blasphemous, profane

irreverent - showing lack of due respect or veneration; "irreverent scholars mocking sacred things"; "noisy irreverent tourists"

sacrilegious

adjective profane, irreverent, blasphemous, unholy, desecrating, godless, ungodly, irreligious, impious Churches were sacked and sacrilegious acts committed.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

sacrilegious

adjective

Showing irreverence and contempt for something sacred:

blasphemous, profane.

Translations

تَدْنيسي، مُدَنِّس

svatokrádežný

vanhellig

helgispjalla-

svätokrádežný

sacrilegious

[ˌsækrɪˈlɪdʒəs] ADJ → sacrílego

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

sacrilegious

[ˌsækrɪˈlɪdʒəs] adj [act] → sacrilège

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

sacrilegious

adj (lit) → gotteslästerlich, sakrilegisch (geh); (fig) → frevelhaft, frevlerisch

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

sacrilegious

[ˌsækrɪˈlɪdʒəs] adj → sacrilego/a

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

sacrilege

(ˈsӕkrəlidʒ) noun

the act of using a holy thing or place in a wicked way. Robbing a church is considered (a) sacrilege.

ˈsacriˈlegious (-ˈlidʒəs) adjective

ˌsacriˈlegiously adverb

ˌsacriˈlegiousness noun

Mentioned in ?

References in classic literature ?

As a further provision for the efficacy of the federal powers, they took an oath mutually to defend and protect the united cities, to punish the violators of this oath, and to inflict vengeance on sacrilegious despoilers of the temple.

View in context

The knife was quite near to Tarzan's breast now, but it halted for an instant as the high priestess raised her eyes to shoot her swift displeasure at the instigator of this sacrilegious interruption.

View in context

The sacrilegious hands of the British soldiers had torn it down, and kindled their barrack fires with the fragments.

View in context

Now, these two luminaries are objects of veneration to the African tribes, and they determined to oppose so sacrilegious an enterprise.

View in context

Meantime, Gabriel, ascending to the main-royal mast-head, was tossing one arm in frantic gestures, and hurling forth prophecies of speedy doom to the sacrilegious assailants of his divinity.

View in context

"Sacrilegious wretch!" cried the high-churchman in the pillory, unable longer to restrain himself, "thou hast rejected the symbol of our holy religion!"

View in context

But when she saw that Pierre's sacrilegious words had not exasperated the vicomte, and had convinced herself that it was impossible to stop him, she rallied her forces and joined the vicomte in a vigorous attack on the orator.

View in context

She would have thought it rather sacrilegious to leave it off--as bad as forgetting her Bible or her collection dime.

View in context

that my sacrilegious fist should ever have been applied to the ear of the Lord's anointed!''

View in context

This holiest of spots was defended from profanation by the strictest edicts of the all-pervading 'taboo', which condemned to instant death the sacrilegious female who should enter or touch its sacred precincts, or even so much as press with her feet the ground made holy by the shadows that it cast.

View in context

There was a question she wanted to ask, but it seemed almost sacrilegious in the face of the love of these two men and the terrible suffering they had endured while she sat laughing and happy beside a godlike creature of the forest, eating delicious fruits and looking with eyes of love into answering eyes.

View in context

Not only was such an act sacrilegious in its nature, but it was fraught with peril.