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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The baron and his pious daughter seem at peace with their mutual estrangement until Zsa-zsa suddenly decides to break that habit.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
18 May 2025
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But while the main character’s mother in that movie was an antagonistic figure, Fatima’s parents are portrayed as kind, not dogmatic or ostentatiously pious.—
Jon Frosch,
HollywoodReporter,
16 May 2025
Adjective
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In 2023, Caviezel, a devout Catholic, starred in mega box office breakout Sound Of Freedom, produced by faith-friendly Angel Studios, and is next due to reprise his role as Jesus in Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
17 May 2025
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Local family members and friends know the new pontiff as a lifelong devout Catholic and former altar boy who makes frequent trips back home to the Chicago area, cheering for the White Sox and enjoying a slice of Aurelio’s pizza when back in town.—
Angie Leventis Lourgos,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2025
Adjective
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For two and a half centuries, religious freedom has driven America's story.—
Kevin Sabet,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 May 2025
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This lighting might have emphasized the space’s religious purpose.—
Sonja Anderson,
Smithsonian Magazine,
14 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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Anyone in our era, that was a holy grail: to get to play college basketball.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
18 May 2025
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His many attempts to free himself from the holy seal placed upon the Devils becomes a running gag involving various unpleasant bodily functions.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2025
Adjective
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Taylor’s casket, covered with an American flag, was taken through reverent procession in Bell County on May 13 from Temple to the funeral home in Copperas Cove, KXXV reported.—
Kate Linderman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 May 2025
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But Post’s reverent take on pop country ends up inheriting the subgenre’s baggage.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
21 Aug. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Saintly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/saintly. Accessed 27 May. 2025.
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