beatify

verb

be·​at·​i·​fy bē-ˈa-tə-ˌfī 

beatified; beatifying

transitive verb

1

: to make supremely happy

2

Christianity : to declare to have attained the blessedness of heaven and authorize the title "Blessed" and limited public religious honor

She was beatified six years after her death.

beatification

bē-ˌa-tə-fə-ˈkā-shən 

noun

Examples of beatify in a Sentence

She was beatified by the Pope one hundred years after her death.

Recent Examples on the Web

Microsoft needs to do nothing — saints don’t need to be beatified a second time. — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 24 Aug. 2025

He was beatified in the Roman Catholic Church in 2017, putting him one step closer to canonization. — Marina Johnson, Detroit Free Press, 16 Feb. 2023

In a remarkably quick process, Acutis was beatified in 2020, and last year Francis approved the second miracle needed for him to be made a saint. — Jessie Wardarski, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025

All 19 were beatified in 2018 as martyrs for the faith in what was then the first such beatification ceremony in the Muslim world. — Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French & Late Latin; Middle French beatifier, borrowed from Late Latin beātificāre, verbal derivative of Latin beātificus "making happy" — more at beatific

First Known Use

1535, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for beatify

• abscissae
• adonai
• alibi
• alkali
• alumni
• amoebae
• amplify
• annuli
• beautify
• brachii
• butterfly
• calculi

Kids Definition

beatify

verb

be·​at·​i·​fy bē-ˈat-ə-ˌfī 

beatified; beatifying

: to declare to have reached the blessedness of heaven

beatification

bē-ˌat-ə-fə-ˈkā-shən 

noun