sacrosanct
adjective
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Contrary to the beliefs of some, language is not sacrosanct; rather, it is subject to constant modification based on the needs, experiences, and even whims of those who use it. Take the word sacrosanct itself, which likely comes from the Latin phrase sacro sanctus meaning “made holy by a sacred rite.” There’s a definite semantic softening from that to the “too important and respected to be changed or criticized” meaning of sacrosanct. But holy moly, has sanctus led to a whole bunch of other English words with truly pious flavor, from saint and sanctimony to sanctify and sanctuary. Sacrum (“a sacred rite”), whence came the sacro in sacro sanctus, is no slouch either, living on in English anatomy as the name for our pelvic vertebrae—a shortening of os sacrum, which literally means “holy bone.”
Examples of sacrosanct in a Sentence
Andy Kroll, ProPublica, 18 Oct. 2025
Many of these cuts were to scientific research, something that, for decades, both parties had treated as sacrosanct, steadily boosting funds for the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.
—Emma Green, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
The sentiment of style being sacrosanct at Old Trafford may have softened somewhat given their malaise in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson years, but the practicality that proved numbingly successful at Wembley that day appears to be taking hold in this season’s Premier League.
—Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
Education spending in particular is sacrosanct to lawmakers, so soon after the state celebrated finally meeting constitutional funding requirements after more than a decade of chronic underfunding.
—Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 27 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sacrosanct
Cite this Entry
“Sacrosanct.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sacrosanct. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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