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sanctity meaning and examples

2025-09-08

Meaning

Sanctity is a noun that means the quality of being holy, sacred, or morally pure. It can also refer to something that deserves great respect or inviolability.

Grammar and Usage

  • Part of speech: Noun
  • Uncountable in most uses (e.g., the sanctity of life).
  • Commonly used with abstract or important concepts such as life, marriage, human rights, the law.
  • Often appears in the structure: the sanctity of + noun.

Common Phrases

  • the sanctity of life – the sacredness and value of human life
  • the sanctity of marriage – the holiness or seriousness of marriage
  • the sanctity of the law – the inviolable authority of law
  • the sanctity of human rights – the sacredness of rights

Collocations

  • protect the sanctity of
  • respect the sanctity of
  • violate the sanctity of
  • uphold the sanctity of
  • threaten the sanctity of

Examples

  1. Many people believe in the sanctity of human life and oppose capital punishment.
  2. The judge emphasized the sanctity of the courtroom and demanded silence.
  3. She wanted her wedding ceremony to reflect the sanctity of marriage.
  4. Journalists argued that government surveillance violated the sanctity of privacy.
  5. Soldiers swore to defend the sanctity of their nation’s laws.
  6. The temple is a place of sanctity and peace.
  7. Activists fought to preserve the sanctity of the environment.
  8. He questioned the sanctity of traditions that no longer made sense.
  • holiness
  • sacredness
  • inviolability
  • purity
  • divinity

Antonym

  • profanity
  • irreverence
  • defilement
  • violation