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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to bless
to make holy through prayers or ritual
sanctify the bread for Communion
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Example Sentences
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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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While purging senior military leaders, Xi has grown and modernized China’s army, navy, and air force; improved its cyberwarfare; and upgraded its nuclear arsenal.—
Michael Sheridan,
Vanity Fair,
8 Apr. 2026
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In late March, Sony removed 700 titles from the PlayStation Store, purging all listings from publisher Nostra Games.—
James Peckham,
PC Magazine,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The families hollered in celebration and got an extra moment for photos once the popemobile stopped so Leo could bless a couple of babies.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
10 Apr. 2026
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We were blessed to have a writers’ room that could generate 20 to 25 movie ideas.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The brand is debuting Fango Purificante, a purifying mud mask for face and body, which will retail starting Monday for $56 on the brand’s website.—
James Manso,
Footwear News,
13 Apr. 2026
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Virtue’s Flourish line of products purify the follicles, nourish the scalp microbiome and create a fertile ground for healthy growth.—
Tory Johnson,
ABC News,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Many Pentecostals, for example, fast for a period in January to consecrate the year ahead.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Feb. 2026
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Even if all these sunny promises are enshrined in contracts, built into budgets, and consecrated with good intentions, there are still plenty of ways the whole project could go kerflooey.—
Justin Davidson,
Curbed,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sanctify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sanctify. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
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