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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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
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
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
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
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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Liu Zhenli was in charge of the Joint Staff Department before he was purged.—
Jennifer Jett,
NBC news,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Heaters were deployed to keep the Orion capsule on top of the rocket warm, while rocket-purging systems were adapted to the cold.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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So far, the closest person the 2020s have to fill that slot is Glen Powell, a native of the Lone Star State blessed with a smile that melts butter and and aw-shucks amiability.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
19 Feb. 2026
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The health tech crew has found a way to monetize our heartbeat, God bless ‘em.—
Zach Przystup,
Baltimore Sun,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Fears washed away, cleanse and purify.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Feb. 2026
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In the biblical sense, the refiner’s fire not only destroys, but purifies the slate clean for novel growth.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
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 27 Feb. 2026.
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