1
as in to purge
to free from moral guilt or blemish especially ceremonially
received the sacrament of penance, whereby they were sanctified and restored to divine grace
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2
as in to bless
to make holy through prayers or ritual
sanctify the bread for Communion
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Recent Examples of sanctify
For King, defending a people did not mean sanctifying a state.
—
Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 15 Feb. 2026
But months later, the campaign to sanctify Kirk appears to have backfired in some ways.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 20 Jan. 2026
An overexposed photo shows Miralba from the torso up, looking into a white sky, with a ray of light almost sanctifying her face.
—Camila Osorio, New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2026
These are the kinds of faces O’Rourke foregrounds, similarly centering the quotidian to sanctifying effect.
—Catherine Bray, Variety, 17 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sanctify
Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 15 Feb. 2026
But months later, the campaign to sanctify Kirk appears to have backfired in some ways.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 20 Jan. 2026
An overexposed photo shows Miralba from the torso up, looking into a white sky, with a ray of light almost sanctifying her face.
—Camila Osorio, New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2026
These are the kinds of faces O’Rourke foregrounds, similarly centering the quotidian to sanctifying effect.
—Catherine Bray, Variety, 17 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sanctify
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sanctify
Verb
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Again purge ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
20 May 2026
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Manzo purged the municipal police and pleaded with the federal government to send troops and military-grade weapons to Uruapan.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
Verb
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This phenomenon is formally known as the photic sneeze reflex, or as an Autosomal Cholinergic Helio-Ophthalmologic Outburst — unofficially blessing it with the spectacular acronym ACHOO syndrome.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
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My family is blessed to have this family in our lives.—
Diane J. Cho,
PEOPLE,
14 May 2026
Verb
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The chefs worked together for several hours, first to sterilize the onggi over heated charcoal topped with a small amount of honey, which fumigate and purify the vessels.—
Andrea Strong,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
8 May 2026
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Moringa trees have been used to purify water for millennia, with evidence of their use by ancient Greeks, Romans and Egyptians, said Adriano Gonçalves dos Reis, a study author and a professor at the Institute of Science and Technology of São Paulo State University.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The vessels themselves are inspired by the Catholic ritual of Olea Sancta (Holy Oils), the three sacred oils used in sacraments and blessings and consecrated during the annual Chrism Mass in Holy Week.—
Anthony DeMarco,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
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Passover commemorates the birth of a Jewish nation consecrated to serve Yahweh, or God, not the Pharaoh.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sanctify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sanctify. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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