anoint

verb

ə-ˈnȯint 

anointed; anointing; anoints

transitive verb

1

: to smear or rub with oil or an oily substance

2

a

: to apply oil to as part of a religious ceremony

The priest anointed the sick.

b

: to choose by or as if by divine election

anoint him as his successor

also : to designate as if by a ritual anointment

Critics have anointed her as an important new literary figure.

anointer noun

anointment

ə-ˈnȯint-mənt 

noun

Synonyms

• smear
• paint
• coat

Examples of anoint in a Sentence

The magazine anointed her the most popular actress of the year.

anoint the wound with antiseptic to prevent infection

Recent Examples on the Web

Notre Dame has been vindicated with the choice to anoint Freeman as Kelly's successor. —Jordan Sigler, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025

Shelby Oaks, Stuckmann's professional directorial feature debut, anointed by horror auteur Mike Flanagan, will now be distributed by Neon in theaters this weekend. —Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Oct. 2025

For the ultra-wealthy, pretty much anything could be acquired for a price; their worlds were anointed to their specifications. —Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2025

Did Pritzker want a day or two to determine whether the party would accept Biden’s edict and quickly anoint Harris as the candidate? —Thomas Elias, Mercury News, 14 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French enoint, past participle of enoindre, from Latin inunguere, from in- + unguere to smear — more at ointment

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for anoint

• adjoint
• appoint
• checkpoint
• conjoint
• disjoint
• endpoint
• gunpoint
• midpoint
• nonpoint
• pinpoint
• standpoint
• viewpoint

Kids Definition

anoint

verb

ə-ˈnȯint 

1

: to rub over with oil or an oily substance

2

: to put oil on as part of a religious ceremony

anointer noun

anointment

-mənt 

noun