canonize

verb

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can·on·ize | \ ˈka-nə-ˌnīz

canonized\ ˈka-nə-ˌnīzd

; in "Hamlet" usually kə-ˈnä-ˌnīzd

\; canonizing

Definition of canonize

transitive verb

1 : to declare (a deceased person) an officially recognized saint

2 : to make canonical

3 : to sanction by ecclesiastical authority

4 : to attribute authoritative sanction or approval to

5 : to treat as illustrious, preeminent, or sacred his mother had canonized all his timidities as common sense— Scott Fitzgerald

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Examples of canonize in a Sentence

She died 100 years ago and was canonized in Rome last year. a singing star so canonized by his fans that they refuse to believe anything bad about him

Recent Examples on the Web Some subset of the suburban women who helped canonize Ginsburg might soften their opposition to these candidates, who are now seen, rightly, as mindless apologists for Trumpism and its horrors. — David Faris, TheWeek, "Mitch McConnell's most savage move is to back off," 20 Sep. 2020 Many of the saints canonized by the Church during the late Middle Ages were lay women and men who had provided assistance for those stricken with plague, leprosy and other infirmities. — Adam J. Davis, The Conversation, "From pews to patients – churches have long served as hospitals, particularly in times of crisis," 27 Apr. 2020 Soon after, Foster joined Davis’s electric band, and participated in a string of recordings that have not been as thoroughly canonized, but nonetheless left an indelible mark on American music. — New York Times, "9 Pop, Rock and Jazz Concerts to Check Out in N.Y.C. This Weekend," 12 Mar. 2020 To some, Thunberg resembles Joan of Arc, the teenage visionary who led the French army into battle in the 15th century and was later canonized as a saint. — Ellen Boucher, The Conversation, "The dangers of depicting Greta Thunberg as a prophet," 12 Dec. 2019 In 1997, a Star Wars trading card game gave him a name; a few years later, the ice cream maker Hood carried in that short scene was officially canonized as a database that saved the Resistance. — Wired, "Padmé Amidala, Queen of Empty Space," 18 Nov. 2019 The process for canonizing that priest, the Rev. Leon Dehon, had begun more than 40 years earlier. — Washington Post, "Rochester diocese request led to beatification delay," 6 Dec. 2019 Riley Howell — the 21-year-old college student who was killed while stopping an active shooter on his campus earlier this year — is now forever canonized in the official Star Wars universe. — Benjamin Vanhoose, PEOPLE.com, "Lucasfilm Names Riley Howell, Who Died Stopping UNC Charlotte Shooter in April, Star Wars Jedi Master," 24 Dec. 2019 To some, Thunberg resembles Joan of Arc, the teenage visionary who led the French army into battle in the 15th century and was later canonized as a saint. — Ellen Boucher, The Conversation, "The dangers of depicting Greta Thunberg as a prophet," 12 Dec. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'canonize.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.