sacralize
Render spiritually significant
To sacralize something is to make it sacred or treat it as holy.
The term appears in religious studies and sociology to describe how ordinary things—places, objects, rituals, practices—become invested with spiritual significance: Over centuries, the site became sacralized through pilgrimage.
More broadly, sacralize describes elevating anything to untouchable status: We've sacralized economic growth at the expense of other values.
Make officially holy
ordain · set apart · purify · inaugurate · initiate · solemnize · enshrine · beatify
Sacred devotional place
- altarSacred ritual table
- sanctuaryProtected sacred space
- tabernaclePortable sacred dwelling
- templeSacred worship structure
relic · holy ground · sanctum · chapel · mosque · cathedral · gurdwara · torii
Deeply respect and admire
- worshipReligious reverence and praise
- exaltPraise with great intensity
- glorifyPraise to excess
- honorHigh regard, moral dignity
adore · esteem · deify · apotheosize · elevate · praise · extol · laud
Formal event marking occasions
- liturgyFormal worship structure
- ritesFormal ceremonial acts
- initiationFormal admission ceremony
- communionProfound shared closeness
baptism · pilgrimage · observance · procession · offering · incantation · chanting · vestments
sanctify
Make officially holy
dedicate · ordain · set apart · purify · inaugurate · initiate · solemnize · enshrine · beatify · canonize
shrine
Sacred devotional place
- altarSacred ritual table
- sanctuaryProtected sacred space
- tabernaclePortable sacred dwelling
temple · relic · holy ground · sanctum · chapel · mosque · cathedral · gurdwara · torii · stupa
revere
Deeply respect and admire
honor · adore · esteem · deify · apotheosize · elevate · praise · extol · laud · magnify
ceremony
Formal event marking occasions
- liturgyFormal worship structure
- ritesFormal ceremonial acts
- initiationFormal admission ceremony
communion · baptism · pilgrimage · observance · procession · offering · incantation · chanting · vestments · invocation
sacralizedesanctify
Remove religious significance from
deconsecrate · profane · desecrate · secularize · unhallow
sacralizesecularize
Remove from religious control
demystify · demythologize · disenchant · rationalize · naturalize