Hallowed
adjective /ˈhæl.əʊd/ — Holy and greatly revered
Definition
Made holy; greatly respected and revered — often through the weight of time and the accumulation of devoted attention. What is hallowed has had reverence paid to it long enough that the reverence has become part of the thing.
Beyond the definition
The specific holiness of things that have been treated as holy by many people over a long time. Hallowed is sanctified by collective reverence.
Origin & history
From Old English 'hālgian' (to make holy, to consecrate) — related to 'hālig' (holy). 'Hallowed be thy name' — the opening petition of the Lord's Prayer.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The old stadium was hallowed ground for those who had watched matches there as children.
She entered the archive with the feeling one has in hallowed spaces — reverence borrowed from the past.
Hallowed institutions deserve scrutiny precisely because the reverence they attract can protect them from accountability.
How to use it
This entry uses an adjective. Follow the examples for the nouns it describes and its position in the sentence.
Choose “Hallowed” when the meaning fits your context: Made holy; greatly respected and revered — often through the weight of time and the accumulation of devoted attention. What is hallowed has had reverence paid to it long enough that the reverence has become part of the thing.
Synonyms
sacred, sanctified, consecrated, venerated, blessed
Antonyms
profane, ordinary, desecrated
Related words
- sanctified
- reverence
- numinous
- sacred-sublime
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Archaeologist Studying Ancient Traces
An archaeologist studies a desk of worn ancient objects—a spiral seal, a geometric tablet, a pot—by candlelight, concentrating on a mystery.
What is hallowed has had reverence paid to it over time. The archaeologist's focused attention on these ancient, worn objects visualizes the weight of history; the objects have become hallowed through the accumulation of past use and the current scholar’s devoted investigation, which turns them into things beyond ordinary criticism.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration
Questions about this word
What does "Hallowed" mean?
Hallowed is adjective meaning: Holy and greatly revered. Made holy; greatly respected and revered — often through the weight of time and the accumulation of devoted attention. What is hallowed has had reverence paid to it long enough that the reverence has become part of the thing.
Where does the word "Hallowed" come from?
From Old English 'hālgian' (to make holy, to consecrate) — related to 'hālig' (holy). 'Hallowed be thy name' — the opening petition of the Lord's Prayer.