sacrosanct

S1A1C3R1O1S1A1N1C3T1
US/ˈsæk.ɹoʊˌsæŋkt/

adjective

Beyond alteration, criticism, or interference, especially due to religious sanction; inviolable.

Meanings

adjectivesacrosanct (comparative more sacrosanct, superlative most sacrosanct)

comparative more sacrosanct · superlative most sacrosanct

  1. figurativelyBeyond alteration, criticism, or interference, especially due to religious sanction; inviolable.

    For me, it is sacrosanct. It’s our history, it’s our cultural heritage. I do not believe in censorship in that way.

    2023 April 26, Benjamin Lee, quoting Steven Spielberg, “Steven Spielberg: ‘No film should be revised’ based on modern sensitivity”, in The Guardian, →ISSN
    5 more examples

    It will be noted that pre-grouping routes between London and Scotland are no longer sacrosanct—for example, Glasgow St. Enoch trains no longer run necessarily to St. Pancras.

    1960 December, B. Perren, “The role of the Great Central—present and future”, in Trains Illustrated, page 765

    Closer investigation revealed these as millions of elaborate crypts a few meters below the surface, left by a long-extinct spacefaring species called the zeioph. Many human universities wish to perform archeological excavations. Council law holds grave sites as sacrosanct, however, and the matter has been tied up in court for a decade.

    2008, BioWare, Mass Effect, Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Armeni

    After decades of being considered politically sacrosanct, why are homeowner mortgage write-offs suddenly on the chopping block?

    2011 August 14, Kenneth R. Harney, “Homeowner mortgage write-off may be in jeopardy”, in Los Angeles Times, archived from the original on 09 Jan 2021

    The impeachment crisis is also a symptom of a country caught in a massive political estrangement that is tearing apart any sense of common patriotic purpose. It has exposed a political culture in which the facts – in this case, of the President’s actions – are no longer sacrosanct and that has been laced with a fog of misinformation by his allies.

    2019 December 18, Stephen Collinson, “A grave day in history: Trump faces impeachment”, in CNN

    As Parisians deserted the capital in August for their sacrosanct summer holidays, French Prime Minister François Bayrou remained stationed at this desk in an otherwise hushed Hôtel de Matignon.

    2025 August 30, Leila Abboud, Ian Johnston, Adrienne Klasa, “France’s isolated PM puts his job on the line”, in FT Weekend, London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 7

    Synonyms: sacred

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveBeyond alteration, criticism, or interference, especially due to religious sanction; inviolable.

Similar
Similar

More synonyms by meaning

adjectivemust be kept sacred

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latinsacrōsānctus
  2. Latinsacrōsānctus
  3. Englishsacrosanct

Learned borrowing from Latin sacrōsānctus.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian неприкосновен, свещен
  • неприкосновен (neprikosnoven)beyond alteration, criticism, or interference, especially due to religious sanction; inviolable
  • свещен (svešten)sacred, very holy
Catalan sacrosant, sacrosant
  • sacrosantbeyond alteration, criticism, or interference, especially due to religious sanction; inviolable
  • sacrosantsacred, very holy
Chinese Cantonese 不可侵犯嘅
  • 不可侵犯嘅 (bat¹ ho² cam¹ faan⁶ ge³)beyond alteration, criticism, or interference, especially due to religious sanction; inviolable
Chinese Mandarin 神聖不可侵犯 /神圣不可侵犯, 神聖 /神圣
  • 神聖不可侵犯 /神圣不可侵犯 (shénshèng bùkě qīnfàn)beyond alteration, criticism, or interference, especially due to religious sanction; inviolable
  • 神聖 /神圣 (shénshèng)sacred, very holy
Dutch onaantastbaar, onschendbaar
  • onaantastbaarbeyond alteration, criticism, or interference, especially due to religious sanction; inviolable
  • onschendbaarbeyond alteration, criticism, or interference, especially due to religious sanction; inviolable
  • sacrosantsacred, very holy
  • gewijd heiligsacred, very holy
  • allerheiligstsacred, very holy
Finnish pyhä, loukkaamaton
  • pyhäbeyond alteration, criticism, or interference, especially due to religious sanction; inviolable
  • loukkaamatonbeyond alteration, criticism, or interference, especially due to religious sanction; inviolable
  • pyhäsacred, very holy
French sacro-saint, sacrosaint
  • sacro-saintbeyond alteration, criticism, or interference, especially due to religious sanction; inviolable
  • sacrosaintbeyond alteration, criticism, or interference, especially due to religious sanction; inviolable
  • sacro-saintsacred, very holy
  • sacrosaintsacred, very holy
German sakrosankt, unantastbar
  • sakrosanktbeyond alteration, criticism, or interference, especially due to religious sanction; inviolable
  • unantastbarbeyond alteration, criticism, or interference, especially due to religious sanction; inviolable
  • sakrosanktsacred, very holy
  • heiligsacred, very holy
  • hochheiligsacred, very holy
Greek απαραβίαστος
  • απαραβίαστος (aparavíastos)beyond alteration, criticism, or interference, especially due to religious sanction; inviolable
Hungarian szent és sérthetetlen
  • szent és sérthetetlenbeyond alteration, criticism, or interference, especially due to religious sanction; inviolable
Irish dosháraithe, fíorchoisricthe
  • dosháraithebeyond alteration, criticism, or interference, especially due to religious sanction; inviolable
  • fíorchoisricthebeyond alteration, criticism, or interference, especially due to religious sanction; inviolable
Italian sacrosanto
  • sacrosantobeyond alteration, criticism, or interference, especially due to religious sanction; inviolable
Japanese 不可侵, 批判を許さない
  • 不可侵 (fukashin)beyond alteration, criticism, or interference, especially due to religious sanction; inviolable
  • 批判を許さない (hihan o yurusanai)beyond alteration, criticism, or interference, especially due to religious sanction; inviolable
  • 神聖な (shinsei na)sacred, very holy
Korean 신성불가침의, 불가침
  • 신성불가침의 (sinseongbulgachimui)beyond alteration, criticism, or interference, especially due to religious sanction; inviolable
  • 불가침 (bulgachim)beyond alteration, criticism, or interference, especially due to religious sanction; inviolable
Latin sacrōsanctus
  • sacrōsanctusbeyond alteration, criticism, or interference, especially due to religious sanction; inviolable
Polish przenajświętszy
  • przenajświętszysacred, very holy
Portuguese sacrossanto
  • sacrossantobeyond alteration, criticism, or interference, especially due to religious sanction; inviolable
Romanian sacrosanct
  • sacrosanctsacred, very holy
Russian неприкоснове́нный, свяще́нный
  • неприкоснове́нный (neprikosnovénnyj)beyond alteration, criticism, or interference, especially due to religious sanction; inviolable
  • свяще́нный (svjaščénnyj)beyond alteration, criticism, or interference, especially due to religious sanction; inviolable
  • свяще́нный (svjaščénnyj)sacred, very holy
  • свято́й (svjatój)sacred, very holy
Spanish sacrosanto
  • sacrosantobeyond alteration, criticism, or interference, especially due to religious sanction; inviolable
Swedish okränkbar
  • okränkbarbeyond alteration, criticism, or interference, especially due to religious sanction; inviolable
Tagalog kabanal-banalan
  • kabanal-banalansacred, very holy
Turkish kutsal
  • kutsalbeyond alteration, criticism, or interference, especially due to religious sanction; inviolable
Ukrainian священний, недоторканний
  • священний (svjaščennyj)beyond alteration, criticism, or interference, especially due to religious sanction; inviolable
  • недоторканний (nedotorkannyj)beyond alteration, criticism, or interference, especially due to religious sanction; inviolable

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with sacrosanct

All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

sacrosanct. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sacrosanct

MLA

“sacrosanct.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sacrosanct. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sacrosanct,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sacrosanct.

Source: sacrosanct on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.