Synonyms of sanctify

sanctify

verb

ˈsaŋ(k)-tə-ˌfī 

1

as in to purge

to free from moral guilt or blemish especially ceremonially

received the sacrament of penance, whereby they were sanctified and restored to divine grace

Synonyms & Similar Words

• purge
• purify
• heal
• cleanse
• restore
• improve
• amend
• refine
• regenerate
• elevate
• vindicate
• ennoble
• absolve
• acquit
• exonerate
• uplift
• clear

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• degrade
• corrupt
• defile
• demean
• debase
• stain
• pervert
• poison
• warp
• prostitute
• profane
• debauch
• deprave
• tarnish
• sully

2

as in to bless

to make holy through prayers or ritual

sanctify the bread for Communion

Synonyms & Similar Words

• bless
• consecrate
• dedicate
• hallow
• sacralize
• purify
• spiritualize
• devote
• cleanse
• baptize
• exorcise
• canonize
• chasten
• expurgate
• lustrate
• commit
• reconsecrate

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• desecrate
• defile
• soil
• profane
• violate
• pollute
• dirty
• desanctify
• taint
• desacralize
• deconsecrate
• punish
• blaspheme
• foul
• condemn
• curse
• cuss
• cast out
• damn
• execrate

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of sanctify

To say that the Union was sacred and the touchstone of democracy was to strengthen slavery by sanctifying the state that protected it. — Dominic Erdozain, Time, 3 July 2026

The cruelest dimension of this is that a Christianity hijacked by the evangelical right now seeks to sanctify that mythology in the name of God. — Otis Moss Iii, Chicago Tribune, 28 June 2026

But far from celebrating or sanctifying the throwing off of English rule, the story’s shocking ending portrays the patriots as a fiendish mob, and casts doubt on the bedrock American faith in prosperity. — John Swansburg, The Atlantic, 15 June 2026

When a couple marry in a church, synagogue or mosque, the ceremony does more than sanctify a union. — Peter McGraw, The Conversation, 23 Apr. 2026