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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of saintly
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
Culkin’s chief rival Norton, who plays the banjo and sings as the saintly folk hero Pete Seeger, has not summoned a win yet.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 26 Feb. 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
Leah Dolan, CNN, 3 Mar. 2025
Culkin’s chief rival Norton, who plays the banjo and sings as the saintly folk hero Pete Seeger, has not summoned a win yet.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 26 Feb. 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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The mobius-thinking at times almost seems like Medieval Zen, what with the emphasis on emptiness and silent meditation, and in fact that was what the Church fathers objected to most: too much quiet, solitary contemplation, not enough pious instruction.—
Jon Raymond
August 5,
Literary Hub,
5 Aug. 2025
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This may well sound like something that would’ve been played as a pious Christian allegory in another era.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
3 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Many of the greatest scientists of the 17th and 18th centuries were devout Christians, whose faith motivated them to pursue their studies.—
Gregory J Rummo,
Sun Sentinel,
10 Aug. 2025
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Hermann, still a devout Catholic who prayed on his knees every night, would listen, nod, and occasionally offer spiritual advice.—
Nancy Walecki,
The Atlantic,
7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Fast forward to today—on the heels of a decades-long conservative family values movement—and that very same clinic is now being vilified by conservative religious leaders.—
Time,
Time,
7 Aug. 2025
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Broward County synagogues also are facing a religious school teacher shortage.—
Lois K. Solomon,
Sun Sentinel,
6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
Adjective
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The structure took a more holy turn in 1954, when a 3607 Pennsylvania was purchased by a church.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
7 Aug. 2025
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In the drive to make PCI Express 5.0 SSDs usable on a wider range of platforms, the holy grail for drive manufacturers would seem to be effective thermal management without sacrificing performance.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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News coverage, starting with correspondent Joan Rivers’ outrageous taunts and then shifting to a far more reverent tone from 2006 to 2021, when Ryan Seacrest joined Rancic for live news desk and awards show coverage.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
29 July 2025
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His surviving works — just over 30 in all — form a kind of visual music or poetry: reverent, revelatory.—
Jerry Saltz,
Vulture,
2 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Saintly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/saintly. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.
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