as in pious
showing a devotion to God and to a life of virtue
a saintly man who devoted his life to caring for the dying
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Recent Examples of saintly
The relics of the monastery’s saintly founder were on view for public veneration.
—
Therese Cory, The Conversation, 28 Jan. 2025
The saintly and spinsterish nurse Enid spends three sleepless days and nights soul-searching, deciding whether to report a murderer or to pursue a future with him.
—The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
In the show’s first two seasons, Laura’s murder broke open a placid American town—much as a severed ear, in Lynch’s 1986 film, Blue Velvet, famously undermined middle America’s saintly image of itself.
—K. Austin Collins, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2025
With saintly patience, my P.T. informed me that my shin bone was in great shape.
—Amy X. Wang, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for saintly
Therese Cory, The Conversation, 28 Jan. 2025
The saintly and spinsterish nurse Enid spends three sleepless days and nights soul-searching, deciding whether to report a murderer or to pursue a future with him.
—The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
In the show’s first two seasons, Laura’s murder broke open a placid American town—much as a severed ear, in Lynch’s 1986 film, Blue Velvet, famously undermined middle America’s saintly image of itself.
—K. Austin Collins, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2025
With saintly patience, my P.T. informed me that my shin bone was in great shape.
—Amy X. Wang, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for saintly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for saintly
Adjective
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Each letter comes across as a set piece, a small achievement of style and tone: Vasari’s flowery, deferential missives to the duke, Maria’s youthful ardor and confusion, the overly pious cattiness of a nun.—
Chelsea Leu,
New York Times,
12 Apr. 2025
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For pious viewers who may traditionally shy away from the horror genre, The Bondsman may surprise with some very tender and spiritual moments.—
Demetrius Patterson,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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And hey, even the most devout among us can't argue with that.—
Lizz Schumer,
People.com,
23 Apr. 2025
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The Kremlin and its far-right proxies now paint Ivan as a great statesman and devout Russian Orthodox Christian who laid the foundations of the Russian Empire.—
Dina Khapaeva,
The Conversation,
22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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In general, historical and religious scholars don't put much stock in it.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
4 May 2025
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Conclave received largely positive reviews from religious experts for its largely accurate portrayal of the election process, and also won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.—
Callum Sutherland,
Time,
3 May 2025
Adjective
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Benedict, the Pope emeritus, took a role in the ceremony; some half million devotees of the two sainted Popes filled the piazza and the streets adjoining the Vatican.—
Paul Elie,
New Yorker,
21 Apr. 2025
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That’s when Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft , Nvidia and Tesla divorced themselves from the rest of the market — or, more accurately, the big institutions filed for divorce on behalf of the sainted seven.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
16 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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As the world mourns Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday, age 88—a symbolic end following the Church’s holiest calendar.—
Gemma Allen,
Forbes.com,
23 Apr. 2025
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Loading your audio article Pope Francis never visited California or his holy namesake’s city by the bay, but in many ways, the heart of his message made a tremendous imprint here.—
Julia Prodis Sulek,
Mercury News,
21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The learning process for me over the course of the first two years was to not be as reverent of the original.—
Rick Porter,
The Hollywood Reporter,
24 Mar. 2025
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The Sundance online platform has allowed for a more democratic festival experience (feature film tickets cost $35) when stacked against its peer events, which are reverent to theaters only and in less accessible locations.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
1 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Saintly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/saintly. Accessed 6 May. 2025.
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