as in smeared
to rub an oily or sticky substance over
anoint the wound with antiseptic to prevent infection
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Recent Examples of anointed
Moyes was out of contract at the end of the 2012-13 season, and the story went that he was anointed as Ferguson’s successor during a meeting at his fellow Scot’s house.
—
Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 25 Apr. 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
Sullivan regularly anointed stars and cultural icons with a single appearance, beaming performers—Elvis Presley, the Supremes, and the Beatles—straight into homes that might never otherwise encounter them.
—Margaret Heidenry, Vanity Fair, 24 Feb. 2026
Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 25 Apr. 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
Sullivan regularly anointed stars and cultural icons with a single appearance, beaming performers—Elvis Presley, the Supremes, and the Beatles—straight into homes that might never otherwise encounter them.
—Margaret Heidenry, Vanity Fair, 24 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anointed
Verb
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Farran asked, gazing at their graves — cardboard signs smeared with handwritten Arabic because the war has made a proper burial in their village impossible.—
Isabel Debre,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
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Later on, Firecracker was tasked with addressing her church's destruction on television and smeared their reputation, betraying her former life and beliefs.—
Staff Author,
PEOPLE,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Emma Chamberlain, in her sixth year as a special correspondent for Vogue during the red carpet, is wearing a custom Mugler gown by Miguel Castro Freitas and hand painted by Anna Deller-Yee.—
Dalila Muata,
NBC news,
5 May 2026
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Kayll painted her own take on the famous Monet water lily scene right on top her dress for the gala.—
Beatrice Dupuy,
Chicago Tribune,
5 May 2026
Verb
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An astounding 500 to 1,000 nails are used on each piece, which is coated with the signature canvas.—
Jacqui Gifford,
Travel + Leisure,
6 May 2026
-
Moss, sticks and other debris floated in the water while the South Sawyer Glacier, usually brilliant blue, was coated in a layer of dust.—
Megan I. Gannon,
Scientific American,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Anointed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anointed. Accessed 7 May. 2026.
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