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

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

All 19 were beatified in 2018 as martyrs for the faith in what was then the first such beatification ceremony in the Muslim world. —ABC News, 12 Apr. 2026

For Flanagan to be beatified, the postulator — the person responsible for advancing the cause — has to find someone who was miraculously healed by praying for Flanagan's intercession. —CBS News, 23 Mar. 2026

These include those who disgustingly celebrated the murder of Brian Thompson and all but beatified his alleged assassin, and those who made light of and mocked the attack on Pelosi’s family and the Minnesota lawmakers. —Agustina Vergara Cid, Oc Register, 13 Sep. 2025

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

• acidify
• alveoli
• areolae
• demystify
• detoxify
• disqualify
• diversify
• electrify
• exemplify
• fasciculi
• identify
• indemnify

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