ANOINTING Synonyms: 80 Similar and Opposite Words

anointing 1 of 2

noun

as in anointment

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anointing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of anoint

as in smearing

to rub an oily or sticky substance over anoint the wound with antiseptic to prevent infection

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of anointing

Noun

Daemon charged his queen with making a show of strength for all the realm to see, and her response is to once again visit the High Septon and beg for an anointing. — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026 Then came ChatGPT, a false recession alarm, a peak in inflation, the anointing of the Mag 7 and, eventually, last week’s three fresh all-time highs. — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 10 Aug. 2026 When James was in his third NBA season, as Clark is now, the commercial anointing had already happened, even though championships and MVPs were still years away. — Dan Zaksheske Outkick, FOXNews.com, 15 July 2026 The Sunshine State Letdown is one more phase in the choreographed anointing of Donalds as the Republican nominee for governor. — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 26 June 2026 By all accounts, virality is violent for its subjects, and building a sustainable career from sudden celebrity is a formidable task; any sensible person would be wise to distrust such an instantaneous anointing. — Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026 Chalamet represents a less comfortable path for the industry — an anointing of the popular kid, an endorsement of a set of campaign standards that doesn’t exactly align with its own. — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 4 Mar. 2026 The anointing of Dokoupil in mid-December may have surprised some viewers. — Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune, 3 Feb. 2026 Clair Obscur was already the favorite to win the grand prize — but kicking off the show with the game front-and-center felt like an anointing. — James Perkins Mastromarino, NPR, 12 Dec. 2025

Verb

By anointing Watson as their franchise savior, the Haslams disregarded all those women. — Candace Buckner, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026 All the police will find is a crowd sitting in silent vigil and a bottle of olive oil for anointing the ill. — Audrey Dutton, ProPublica, 25 Aug. 2026 The third floor contains meeting rooms where Smith and other leaders inaugurated a rite that involved foot-washing and anointing by oil, and where Smith reported a divine revelation of new teachings. — ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026 That’s similar to the story of Odysseus’ anointing by an old woman in Odyssey 19, MacDonald says. — John Blake, CNN Money, 2 Aug. 2026 There’s no audience score yet on Rotten Tomatoes, but there’s been positive word of mouth from the media who’ve watched the epic, who are already anointing it with awards-season buzz. — Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 14 July 2026 The brochures were distributed at the annual Extel awards, a survey of fund managers anointing the analysts deemed best in their field, announced at a lunch at the Guildhall. — Ian King, CNBC, 17 June 2026 Otherwise, the evening was more about anointing talent that was arguably overdue for awards recognition. — David Sims, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2026 At least one competitor is already anointing Stolz, a seven-time world champ who’s just 21— and only halfway through the Olympic program in Milan—the best ever. — Sean Gregory, Time, 14 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for anointing

Noun

The result of this dynamic tension of bootlickers, according to Bernhard’s narrator, is the perpetual elevation and official anointment of mediocrity.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 19 Feb. 2026
According to the Dera, Singh’s ascent to power is a story of divine anointment.

— Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 6 Feb. 2026

Definition of anointment

Verb

At the entrance of Kollparay, Quispe pauses, taking my hands and smearing them with soil—the soil of her village.

— Paola Miglio, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 June 2026
This will lead to smearing dust particles around instead of picking them up, which is where a wet cloth comes into play.

— Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 5 June 2026

Definition of smearing

Noun

The July 2 decree said the two bishops leading the unauthorized ordination, held in Switzerland on July 1, had been excommunicated, along with the four priests who had become new bishops, which was widely expected.

— Joshua McElwee, USA Today, 2 July 2026
Cardinal Blaise Cupich presided over the ordination.

— CBS Chicago Team, CBS News, 20 June 2026

Definition of ordination

Verb

This provides a ton of flexibility for progression, and feels extremely rewarding for painting units together – and directly ties into that narrative sense of camaraderie that builds as well.

— Hayes Madsen, Space.com, 26 Aug. 2026
As Felix Maldonado began work Saturday on a giant mural on the Smith Ready Mix building on Brown Street, several Duneland Plein Air artists were painting pictures of him.

— Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of painting

Noun

Taylor Farms has completed more than a dozen acquisitions or investments since 2011.

— Brandon Gomez, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
Ultimately, Bessent’s approach is likely to fail, said Peter Boockvar, chief investment officer of One Point BFG Wealth Partners and editor of The Boock Report newsletter.

— Brian Cheung, NBC news, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of investment

Verb

Most record-breaking perovskite cells in labs rely on spin-coating or wet-chemical solution processing, which doesn’t scale well to large, textured industrial silicon wafers.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 26 Aug. 2026
Bring to room temperature before portioning and coating in cinnamon-sugar.

— Rick Martinez, Bon Appetit Magazine, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of coating

Noun

An induction-heating process on the cathode line is designed to reduce web breaks during high-speed processing.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 21 Aug. 2026
The MagneDrive system uses magnetic induction for silent, high-torque rotation, isolating the platter from motor vibrations and eliminating belts.

— Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of induction

Noun

Gates officially open Monday, August 31, but just over half of the attendees will arrive earlier to build the big art installations and other features of the temporary city.

— Anya Kamenetz, Curbed, 28 Aug. 2026
Repetitive motifs in various shapes were her trademark, resembling netting, swirls or worms, but most often dots, dancing proudly on her canvases or as sparkling balls or dots of light in her installations in all their vibrant, psychedelic glory.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of installation

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“Anointing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anointing. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of anointing

noun

verb

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