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Glite Dictionary
to unhallow

to unhallow

9.9
To make a place or thing no longer holy
  • verb
  • /ʌnˈhæloʊ/
  • Archaic
translation icon : desconsagrar
  • The temple was unhallowed after being converted into a marketplace.

Examples

  • They sought to unhallow the ancient relic.

  • According to legend, the ground was unhallowed before the burial took place.

  • Some rituals are performed to unhallow sacred objects that are no longer in use.

  • The ritual was meant to unhallow the site.

  • The old mansion was said to be unhallowed after the tragic events that took place inside.

  • Many believed that disturbing the graves would unhallow the sacred resting place of the ancestors.

  • The ritual aimed to unhallow the cursed artifact, stripping it of its dark powers.

Synonyms

to desecrate
vsto unhallow
44 8.1

To damage or show disrespect to a holy place, for example a grave

is about ending sacred status rather than harming or insulting it
to deconsecrate
vsto unhallow
  • Formal
1 9.9

Officially say that a place such as a church or altar is no longer holy

is not performed as an official ceremony and can be done informally
to desacralize
vsto unhallow
  • Formal
1 9.9

Remove religious use from a place or object so people can use it for ordinary things

focuses on removing holiness without implying transfer to secular control
to unsanctify
vsto unhallow
9.5

To stop something being treated as sacred so it can be used for normal purposes

focuses on removing formal consecration rather than mere status removal

Antonyms

to hallow
  • Formal
52 8.9

To make a place or thing holy by a religious ceremony

to sanctify
24 7.4

To make a person or place holy with a religious ceremony

How Desecrating

to unhallow
  • Archaic
9.9
to desecrate
44 8.1
to defile
38 8.6
to profane
4 7.2

Surface Forms

unhallow infinitive
unhallowed past
unhallowed past participle
unhallowing present participle
unhallows third person singular

Morphology

unhallow = hallow (transparent) = un + hallow

Meaning is directly derived by adding the productive negative prefix 'un-' to 'hallow', yielding the opposite action.

Etymology

Unhallow is made of un- 'not' and hallow 'to make holy', so it means to take away the sacred or holy quality of a person or thing. Think of hallow in Halloween and of 'hallowed' ground — unhallow is the opposite: to make a place or object 'not holy'.