Definition of Sacrifice
(noun) Offering something of value (e.g., food; objects) to something supernatural, typically for appeasement or to gain favor.
Sacrifice Pronunciation
Syllabification: sac·ri·fice
Audio Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
- American English – /sAk-ruh-fies/
- British English – /sAk-ri-fies/
International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English – /ˈsækrəˌfaɪs/
- British English – /ˈsakrɪfʌɪs/
Usage Notes
- Plural: sacrifices
- Also called religious sacrifice.
- A (adjective) sacrificer (verb) sacrifices a (adjective) sacrificeable or (adjective) sacrificial objects (adverb) sacrificially.
Additional Information
- Word origin of “sacrifice” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
- Carter, Jeffrey, ed. 2003. Understanding Religious Sacrifice: A Reader. London: Continuum.
- Davies, Nigel. 1981. Human Sacrifice: In History and Today. New York: Morrow.
Related Terms
- atheism
- belief system
- cosmology
- divination
- ecclesia
- monotheism
- personified supernatural force
- prayer
- supernatural
- totemism
- transcendent value
Cite the Definition of Sacrifice
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “sacrifice.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved November 28, 2023 (https://sociologydictionary.org/sacrifice/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
sacrifice. (2014). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/sacrifice/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “sacrifice.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed November 28, 2023. https://sociologydictionary.org/sacrifice/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“sacrifice.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2014. Web. 28 Nov. 2023. <https://sociologydictionary.org/sacrifice/>.