sacrilegious
/,sækri'lidʤəs/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Grossly irreverent toward what is held to be sacred: Describes an action, behavior, or attitude that shows profound disrespect or violation towards something considered holy, divine, or deeply revered by a religion or belief system.
- Involving the violation or misuse of what is sacred: Can refer to the act of treating a sacred object, place, or concept in a profane or inappropriate manner.
Usage and Examples
- Adjective:
- The act of stealing from the ancient temple was considered deeply sacrilegious.
- Many believers felt the artist's depiction of the deity was sacrilegious.
- It is sacrilegious to treat the holy scriptures with such casual disregard.
Advanced Usage and Nuances
- Cultural and Contextual Sensitivity: What is deemed sacrilegious is entirely dependent on the specific religious or cultural context. An action considered normal in one culture might be sacrilegious in another.
- Degree of Offense: The term implies a severe, shocking, or gross violation, not a minor or accidental disrespect.
- "Sacrilegious act": A common collocation emphasizing the specific action that constitutes the violation.
- Desecrating the grave was a sacrilegious act that outraged the community.
Variants and Related Words
- Sacrilege (noun): The act, instance, or crime of being sacrilegious.
- Vandalizing the church was an act of sacrilege.
- Sacrilegiously (adverb): In a sacrilegious manner.
- He sacrilegiously used the altar as a table.
Synonyms
- Blasphemous: Showing contempt or lack of reverence for God or sacred things. (Often used interchangeably, though "blasphemous" can be more specifically verbal.)
- Profane: Treating sacred things with contempt, disrespect, or irreverence.
- Irreverent: Lacking respect. (A broader, often less severe term than "sacrilegious.")
- Desecrating: Actively damaging or violating the sacred character of a place or object.
Antonyms
- Reverent: Feeling or showing deep and solemn respect.
- Pious: Devoutly religious.
- Sacred: Connected with God or a god; deserving veneration.
Idioms and Common Phrases
- Consider it sacrilegious: To view something as a profound violation of the sacred.
- Traditionalists consider it sacrilegious to alter the ancient ritual.
- Border on the sacrilegious: To be very close to being sacrilegious.
- His flippant comments about the ceremony bordered on the sacrilegious.
Adjective
- 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