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 contrast between the saintly behavior expected of these evangelists and their less-than-righteous day-to-day lives is a reliable, ever-replenishing fountain of comedy, as everlasting as the Lord’s love.
—
Ben Travers, IndieWire, 9 Mar. 2025
In his final collection in 2010, Alexander McQueen also titled a gown after the Botticelli painting — although the grey silk organza dress was digitally printed with two saintly figures, not Botticelli’s woman.
—Leah Dolan, CNN, 3 Mar. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for saintly
Ben Travers, IndieWire, 9 Mar. 2025
In his final collection in 2010, Alexander McQueen also titled a gown after the Botticelli painting — although the grey silk organza dress was digitally printed with two saintly figures, not Botticelli’s woman.
—Leah Dolan, CNN, 3 Mar. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for saintly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for saintly
Adjective
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According to Singh, Bishnoi has cultivated the public persona of a pious man dedicated to God and justice.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
7 Oct. 2025
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The vast majority of the crowd knew the lyrics and sang along, with some of the particularly pious raising their hands in prayer.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Sister Jean was born Delores Bertha Schmidt in 1919 and grew up in a devout Catholic family in San Francisco.—
NPR,
NPR,
10 Oct. 2025
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The London audience — which included Greta Gerwig and Andrew Lloyd Webber — couldn’t stop laughing throughout the two-hour crime comedy, which follows Blanc latest case, this time revolving around a charismatic priest, Monsignor Jefferson Wicks, and his devout congregation.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
8 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Her parents emphasized religious training, sending the children to Catholic elementary schools.—
Jan Goldsmith,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Oct. 2025
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After years of advocating to expand private and religious education and homeschooling, using tax dollars, a cadre of conservative activists is in a position to push forward its agenda.—
Megan O’Matz,
ProPublica,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The jobs that Biden wanted and did create are the same ones that Trump hates: wind, solar, electric vehicles, the usual gang of sainted Democratic projects.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
7 Sep. 2025
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And the sainted Barack Obama Administration, which launched an extended bombing campaign in Libya, did not get congressional authorization.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
26 June 2025
Adjective
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There are no direction markers, no information board to explain that here, nestled between an air-conditioner repair shop and a gaming cafe, lies one of Brazilian football’s holy sites.—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2025
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This writer is of the firm belief that our tears become holy in the form of ink on a page.—
Marina Watts,
PEOPLE,
6 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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That Maestro screening featured the vociferous participation of Leonard Bernstein’s surviving family members, as well as Cooper himself watching silently from the audience (the strike prevented him from doing more), a perfect companion to Cooper’s alternately reverent and over-the-top biopic.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
25 Sep. 2025
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The atmosphere is reverent and energized, with attendees standing in collective praise hours before the formal program begins.—
Amanda Castro
Mandy Taheri
Peter Aitken,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Saintly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/saintly. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.
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