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
And Sylvia’s saintly husband Charlie (Luke Macfarlane) again grows frustrated that his wife keeps prioritizing her college buddy over him.
—
Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 6 Aug. 2025
Martin Scorsese will be back to tell more saintly tales.
—Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 11 June 2025
Luckily for them, Jonathan decided to take the longest water break in the history of The Amazing Race, much to the detriment of his very patient and saintly wife.
—Nick Caruso, TVLine, 2 Apr. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for saintly
Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 6 Aug. 2025
Martin Scorsese will be back to tell more saintly tales.
—Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 11 June 2025
Luckily for them, Jonathan decided to take the longest water break in the history of The Amazing Race, much to the detriment of his very patient and saintly wife.
—Nick Caruso, TVLine, 2 Apr. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for saintly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for saintly
Adjective
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The contrast between svn4vr’s different inflections evokes the spiritual tension of a pious person torn between worldly desire and submission to a higher power.—
H.D. Angel,
Pitchfork,
9 Apr. 2026
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In addition to the pious, persevering Goma and flawed Chandravati in the mortal realm, in the divine realm there are the goddesses Sati and her reincarnation as Parvati.—
Jessica Vantine Birkenholtz,
The Conversation,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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For svn4vr, a devout Christian whose music grapples with the demands of faith, the impulsive workflow conveys a religious fervor.—
H.D. Angel,
Pitchfork,
9 Apr. 2026
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Her earliest moments in the show have shades of a western—No Country for Old Men with a side of devout Trump supporters, sniffer dogs, petrifying cronies, and balloons stuffed with fentanyl and swallowed with lube.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Though many have since been released, the region remains under tight control, with strict limitations on religious and cultural practices.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
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Robert Orsi, a professor of religious studies and history at Northwestern University, said he was alarmed by the post's connotations.—
Ava Berger,
NPR,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Reviews rank it only behind the sainted Hatsuyuki Handroll Bar; 711 W. Magnolia Ave., 682-326-1994, instagram.com/yoichi_omakase_handroll.—
Bud Kennedy,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
25 Mar. 2026
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The movement had adherents among the student body and on the faculty at the Catholic University in Chiclayo, which has about ten thousand students, and the cathedral boasted an enormous portrait of Josemaria Escrivá, Opus Dei’s sainted founder.—
Paul Elie,
New Yorker,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The novel setup invited any number of issues that might have ruined the whole thing, but the experience was somehow redeemed and made special by its foundational reverence for the holy light of cinema.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
10 Apr. 2026
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The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, closed for much of the holy month of Ramadan and the Eid al-Fitr holiday, reopened with dawn prayer Thursday, according to Jerusalem’s Islamic Waqf, the Jordanian religious authority that administers the compound.—
Sam Mednick,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Newman often seems to be reciting his lyrics, even incanting them, reverent and repetitive.—
Elizabeth Nelson,
Pitchfork,
8 Apr. 2026
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Nakamura, who works almost exclusively in his native Japan, smooths over those divisions, creating reverent, porous structures that open to the landscape or curl in on themselves in repose.—
Justin Davidson,
Curbed,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Saintly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/saintly. Accessed 16 Apr. 2026.
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