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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sanctify
This is not the first attempt to sanctify a secular icon for the republic.
—
Emery J Cummins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Sep. 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
In Gaza, addressing famine means sanctifying life instead of normalizing violent death.
—Karl Vick, Time, 1 Aug. 2025
Though his win was not televised, Bernarr’s instantly memorable — and eternally sanctified — acceptance speech quickly went viral across social media.
—Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for sanctify
Emery J Cummins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Sep. 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
In Gaza, addressing famine means sanctifying life instead of normalizing violent death.
—Karl Vick, Time, 1 Aug. 2025
Though his win was not televised, Bernarr’s instantly memorable — and eternally sanctified — acceptance speech quickly went viral across social media.
—Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for sanctify
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sanctify
Verb
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Unless a Nest user subscribes to a service that allows for quick access to review footage recorded on a device, Google routinely purges the footage rather than retain it indefinitely, said Stacey Higginbotham, a policy fellow at Consumer Reports who specializes in cybersecurity issues.—
Safiyah Riddle,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
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From 2016 to 2019, around 4,000 judges in Turkey were purged and replaced with far less experienced judges who are supporters of Erdoğan.—
Kaya Genç,
The Dial,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But we are also blessed that she will be surrounded by an equally capable and experienced team of senior editors.—
Lisa Schencker,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Feb. 2026
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Garland was comfortable in Cleveland generally, but his representatives blessed the trade to the Clippers ahead of the deal being consummated.—
Jason Lloyd,
New York Times,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But all of those religions are teaching us how to purify our minds and become a good person in our society.—
Meagan Jordan,
Rolling Stone,
8 Feb. 2026
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On the nuclear issue, a key point of contention remains Iran’s demand to enrich uranium – a nuclear fuel that can be used to make a bomb if purified to high levels – which the US and its allies reject.—
Nadeen Ebrahim,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The ashes are consecrated with holy water and incense before being administered.—
Catherine Messier,
The Providence Journal,
12 Jan. 2026
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Rob practiced celebrating the Mass by draping a sheet over an ironing board in the basement and consecrating Necco wafers.—
Paul Elie,
New Yorker,
5 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sanctify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sanctify. Accessed 13 Feb. 2026.
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