desacralizar

A formal, academic verb meaning to strip something of its sacred or ceremonial character — desacralizar un ritual, desacralizar la muerte. It shows up mainly in sociology, religious studies, and cultural criticism discussing secularization, not in everyday conversation.

• El ensayo analiza cómo la sociedad moderna desacraliza la muerte. — The essay analyzes how modern society strips death of its sacred character.
• Algunos críticos dicen que el evento desacralizó la ceremonia tradicional. — Some critics say the event stripped the traditional ceremony of its sacred character.
• El arte contemporáneo a veces busca desacralizar íconos religiosos. — Contemporary art sometimes seeks to desacralize religious icons.

Using desacralizar as a casual synonym for "to make less serious" — it specifically involves removing sacred or ritual status, a narrower and more academic idea than general informality.