as in smeared
to rub an oily or sticky substance over
anoint the wound with antiseptic to prevent infection
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of anointed
When Betts landed on the 10-day IL on April 5 with an oblique strain, the Dodgers elected to platoon the middle infield but anointed Alex Freeland the starting second baseman.
—
Katie Woo, New York Times, 11 May 2026
Lewer wasn’t the only prizewinner anointed at the ceremony.
—News Desk, Artforum, 8 May 2026
Now adding to an imposing lineup that includes Baruch Spinoza, Karl Marx, Franz Kafka, Sigmund Freud, and Albert Einstein, as well as artistic luminaries ranging from Leonard Bernstein to Mark Rothko, the publisher has anointed Stephen Sondheim.
—Chip Brown, Air Mail, 11 Apr. 2026
On Monday, as he was nominated in parliament as a presidential candidate, Min Aung Hlaing anointed Ye Win Oo, a former intelligence chief seen as fiercely loyal to the general, as his successor to lead the military.
—Reuters, NBC news, 3 Apr. 2026
He has been anointed for no-doubt stardom since the Army All-American Bowl in 2018, when Waddle first crossed paths with Pat Surtain II.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 22 Mar. 2026
Chavez was positioned as the Christlike figure who toiled for all of us at great personal cost and thus was anointed the face of the farmworkers movement.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2026
The Jets will be paying the bulk of his salary, a rapid fall of stature for a quarterback anointed the Week 1 starter in New York a year ago.
—Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 17 Mar. 2026
Today, the Midwest town’s Dutch heritage is on full display from a working grain mill (anointed the Vermeer Windmill) to Tulip Time, an annual three-day tulip festival with some 300,000 flowers in early May.
—Mark Ellwood, AFAR Media, 25 Feb. 2026
Katie Woo, New York Times, 11 May 2026
Lewer wasn’t the only prizewinner anointed at the ceremony.
—News Desk, Artforum, 8 May 2026
Now adding to an imposing lineup that includes Baruch Spinoza, Karl Marx, Franz Kafka, Sigmund Freud, and Albert Einstein, as well as artistic luminaries ranging from Leonard Bernstein to Mark Rothko, the publisher has anointed Stephen Sondheim.
—Chip Brown, Air Mail, 11 Apr. 2026
On Monday, as he was nominated in parliament as a presidential candidate, Min Aung Hlaing anointed Ye Win Oo, a former intelligence chief seen as fiercely loyal to the general, as his successor to lead the military.
—Reuters, NBC news, 3 Apr. 2026
He has been anointed for no-doubt stardom since the Army All-American Bowl in 2018, when Waddle first crossed paths with Pat Surtain II.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 22 Mar. 2026
Chavez was positioned as the Christlike figure who toiled for all of us at great personal cost and thus was anointed the face of the farmworkers movement.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2026
The Jets will be paying the bulk of his salary, a rapid fall of stature for a quarterback anointed the Week 1 starter in New York a year ago.
—Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 17 Mar. 2026
Today, the Midwest town’s Dutch heritage is on full display from a working grain mill (anointed the Vermeer Windmill) to Tulip Time, an annual three-day tulip festival with some 300,000 flowers in early May.
—Mark Ellwood, AFAR Media, 25 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anointed
Verb
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But the pigment and gum are largely invisible, because harding and Upkett smeared them with white paint used by the Carnegie Museum to cover its walls.—
Alex Greenberger,
ARTnews.com,
12 May 2026
-
The Orbánists first ignored them, then smeared them.—
Andrew Marantz,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
Verb
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One, a middle-aged Iowan who had painted his face to resemble a skeleton’s, introduced himself to me as Baron Raider.—
Dan Greene,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
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And the lecture hall on that campus now features a large, ornate mural of a soccer ball being grasped by the hands of two people — freshly painted by the 2004 Morningside graduate as the city of Inglewood prepares to host eight World Cup games at SoFi Stadium starting next month.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
Verb
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Most modern non-toxic ceramic pans are actually aluminum or stainless steel pans coated with a thin spray-on layer designed to mimic ceramic’s slick, nonstick surface.—
Ryan Brennan,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
20 May 2026
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Thus, entries at the show range from six-digit customs (above) to mopeds covered in glitter (below) to daily riders still coated in road grime.—
William Roberson,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Anointed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anointed. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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