consecrate

2 of 2

verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb consecrate contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of consecrate are dedicate, devote, and hallow. While all these words mean "to set apart for a special and often higher end," consecrate stresses investment with a solemn or sacred quality.

consecrate a church to the worship of God

When can dedicate be used instead of consecrate?

While the synonyms dedicate and consecrate are close in meaning, dedicate implies solemn and exclusive devotion to a sacred or serious use or purpose.

dedicated her life to medical research

When would devote be a good substitute for consecrate?

The meanings of devote and consecrate largely overlap; however, devote is likely to imply compelling motives and often attachment to an objective.

devoted his evenings to study

When is it sensible to use hallow instead of consecrate?

In some situations, the words hallow and consecrate are roughly equivalent. However, hallow, often differing little from dedicate or consecrate, may distinctively imply an attribution of intrinsic sanctity.

battlegrounds hallowed by the blood of patriots

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of consecrate
Adjective
Lana Del Rey doesn’t toy with signs—of American glamour and its decay, of female melancholia and racial desire—so much as consecrate them. Lauren Michele Jackson, The New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2023
Verb
The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. Kary Love, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025 Griswold—whose father, once the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, consecrated the denomination’s first openly gay bishop—treats the pastors generously, though gingerly, constructing from their lowest moments an affecting study of sacred life in sacrilegious times. Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 2 Aug. 2024 See All Example Sentences for consecrate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for consecrate
Adjective
  • There is some irony that the lawmakers working on the bill with preliminary votes on both Saturday and Sunday, the Jewish Sabbath and the Christian Sabbath, violated the commandment to keep the Sabbath day holy.
    New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 27 May 2025
  • The march commemorates Jerusalem Day, which marks Israel’s capture of East Jerusalem, including the Old City and its holy sites sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims, in the 1967 Mideast war.
    Julia Frankel, Los Angeles Times, 26 May 2025
Verb
  • The Long Beach port was dedicated in 1911, and like Southern California itself, went like gangbusters.
    Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2025
  • Unlike industry legacy methods where people and technologies are stretched over the entire process, Rocket has broken down the workflow into distinct stages and has dedicated people and technologies at each step.
    Kenneth Squire, CNBC, 24 May 2025
Verb
  • My wife, Gerda, and I have been blessed with three release dogs from Canine Companions for Independence (CCI), the premier provider of service dogs in the U.S., with which we have been involved for decades.
    Dean Koontz, People.com, 20 May 2025
  • In an Everton side that is not blessed with flair players, Ndiaye is the exception.
    Mark Carey, New York Times, 20 May 2025
Adjective
  • Wilson notes that, in Black cultures, there traditionally is no separation between the sacred and the secular.
    Essence, Essence, 29 May 2025
  • As neoliberalism took hold, the market moved into the space once occupied by the sacred and the social.
    Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025
Verb
  • Islam recommends devoting no more than 5% of your portfolio to thematic ETFs, for example.
    Ryan Ermey, CNBC, 23 May 2025
  • Regardless of high prices, Bulgari’s Creative Director Lucia Silvestri has devoted herself to making the pieces more wearable, articulated, and comfortable on the body.
    Daisy Shaw-Ellis, Vogue, 20 May 2025
Adjective
  • Until her late 20s, Isabella had never even considered a consecrated life.
    Lamorna Ash, The Dial, 6 May 2025
  • However, the oil miraculously burned for eight days until new consecrated oil could be found.
    Chris Sims, The Indianapolis Star, 13 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • His defensive metrics rank among the worst out of all qualified third basemen, with -7 outs above average and -8 defensive runs saved.
    Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 28 May 2025
  • Although the developer proposes a central green with pedestrian paths, the developer’s plan falls considerably short of the town’s tree save requirement, James said.
    Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 28 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Consecrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/consecrate. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.

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