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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Recent Examples of sanctify
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
Smith helped sanctify Bieber’s public rehabilitations, officiated his wedding, and is now godfather to the Biebers’ baby son, Jack Blues.
—Sam Kestenbaum, Vulture, 2 Jan. 2026
These are the kinds of faces O’Rourke foregrounds, similarly centering the quotidian to sanctifying effect.
—Catherine Bray, Variety, 17 Dec. 2025
Mitevska also refuses to sanctify Mother Teresa more than necessary, instead portraying her as a strict disciplinarian who believed in organizational practicality as much as in the inherent holiness of children.
—Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sanctify
Camila Osorio, New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2026
Smith helped sanctify Bieber’s public rehabilitations, officiated his wedding, and is now godfather to the Biebers’ baby son, Jack Blues.
—Sam Kestenbaum, Vulture, 2 Jan. 2026
These are the kinds of faces O’Rourke foregrounds, similarly centering the quotidian to sanctifying effect.
—Catherine Bray, Variety, 17 Dec. 2025
Mitevska also refuses to sanctify Mother Teresa more than necessary, instead portraying her as a strict disciplinarian who believed in organizational practicality as much as in the inherent holiness of children.
—Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sanctify
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sanctify
Verb
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Call this Green Bay South, and buckle up for the uncomfortable ride of purging the roster for draft picks because everything of value will likely be sold off, shipped away if the right offer is made.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
18 Mar. 2026
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Haugh lets out the occasional wince, twitch and groan as Patterson kneads knotted muscles and purges lactic acid build-up so Florida’s leading scorer and ironman can continue to shoulder his heavy workload.—
Edgar Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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God bless broccoli, that faithful mainstay of supermarkets and produce drawers everywhere.—
Shilpa Uskokovic,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
18 Mar. 2026
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O’Brien opened with a silly bit highlighting a bunch of nominees and ended with a silly bit where he was crowned as a king and blessed by the Pope.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Inside these trains, natural gas is purified and cooled to about –260 degrees Fahrenheit (–162 degrees Celsius), below the boiling point of methane.—
Stephanie Pappas,
Scientific American,
23 Mar. 2026
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When the characters played by Carey Mulligan and Kaden Leos begin to tiptoe into that void, Gosling sells the Driver’s transition into a man finally come alive, revitalized by love and purified by violence.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 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 24 Mar. 2026.
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