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
In Kahane’s theology, Jewish weakness was the sacrilege, and Jewish strength sanctified God.
—
Gershom Gorenberg, The Atlantic, 30 May 2025
G‑d’s purpose in creating the world was that all of creation be sanctified, imbuing it with holiness and spirituality.
—Rabbi Moishe Kievman, Sun Sentinel, 20 May 2025
His magnetic, restrained performance gives flesh to this mythical character, without ever sanctifying him.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 9 May 2025
In the West, she’s been sanctified, but also portrayed as a sinner, a nun, a mystic, and Jesus’ wife.
—Eliza Griswold, New Yorker, 19 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sanctify
Gershom Gorenberg, The Atlantic, 30 May 2025
G‑d’s purpose in creating the world was that all of creation be sanctified, imbuing it with holiness and spirituality.
—Rabbi Moishe Kievman, Sun Sentinel, 20 May 2025
His magnetic, restrained performance gives flesh to this mythical character, without ever sanctifying him.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 9 May 2025
In the West, she’s been sanctified, but also portrayed as a sinner, a nun, a mystic, and Jesus’ wife.
—Eliza Griswold, New Yorker, 19 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sanctify
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sanctify
Verb
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Ross needs to lean into purging this franchise of its mediocre ways, which has turned a generation of South Florida fans away from football.—
Omar Kelly
October 31,
Miami Herald,
31 Oct. 2025
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Studios en masse suspended all of its first look and overall arrangements with writers, and the studios used the opportunity to purge from its ranks some of the expensive ones with talent that weren’t actually resulting in any shows.—
Brian Welk,
IndieWire,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Amish are part of the wider Anabaptist movement, which puts heavy emphasis on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, containing some of his most radical and counter-cultural sayings — to love enemies, live simply, bless persecutors, turn the other cheek and to endure sufferings joyfully.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
30 Oct. 2025
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Obama wore one of her dresses to speak at the DNC in 2012, after which Reese was blessed with an almost-instant backlog of orders.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Berenter said people have become more familiar with the concept of purifying sewage — and much more trusting of the science behind it — since San Diego first floated the idea two decades ago.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Oct. 2025
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Like the process of purifying reuse water, the desalination process is more expensive than the typical methods of treating non-brackish groundwater for consumption.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Some of these caves have fireplaces, and some were consecrated and used as churches, known as rupestre.—
Aileen Weintraub,
Smithsonian Magazine,
23 July 2025
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And so, next door to the photo booth where Nic and Cierra consecrated their mutual vibe, cowgirl style, Hannah climbs onto Pepe’s muscular thighs and gets a little cowgirl make-out of her own.—
Kathleen Walsh,
Vulture,
18 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sanctify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sanctify. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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