as in to consecrate
formal
to mark (something) officially or formally especially with a religious ceremony
The priest solemnized their marriage.
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Recent Examples of solemnize
The funeral took place in the Cambridge church where her wedding had been solemnized sixteen months earlier.
—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2025
Once received, the license must be solemnized with a ceremony conducted by someone recognized as having the legal power do so.
—
Lila Seidman,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2020
According to custom in these conservative Hindu communities, while weddings are often solemnized at very young ages, a bride typically is sent to live with her husband’s family and consummate the union in her teens.
—
Author: Shashank Bengali,
Anchorage Daily News,
24 June 2018
In one temple, an officiant claimed that his facility had solemnized 1,500 mixed marriages over the last five years.
—
Ira Trivedi,
Foreign Affairs,
14 Nov. 2013
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2025
Once received, the license must be solemnized with a ceremony conducted by someone recognized as having the legal power do so.
—
Lila Seidman,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2020
According to custom in these conservative Hindu communities, while weddings are often solemnized at very young ages, a bride typically is sent to live with her husband’s family and consummate the union in her teens.
—
Author: Shashank Bengali,
Anchorage Daily News,
24 June 2018
In one temple, an officiant claimed that his facility had solemnized 1,500 mixed marriages over the last five years.
—
Ira Trivedi,
Foreign Affairs,
14 Nov. 2013
Recent Examples of Synonyms for solemnize
Verb
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Generations of cinephiles promoted a version of Agee’s catechism, consecrating Griffith as film’s supreme technical and aesthetic innovator, an almost Promethean figure.
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By visiting the Basilica and blessing the new tower, the pope follows in the footsteps of Pope Benedict XVI who in 2010 consecrated the Sagrada Familia.
Verb
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While June 27 was a day to honor and celebrate Wiley, Turner said June 28 marked the beginning of the fight for answers and accountability.
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The 83-year-old singer and songwriter has been honored with the Congressional Medal of Honor Society's National Patriot Award and has entertained troops on more than 30 United Service Organizations (USO) tours, according to Soldier Valley Spirits.
Verb
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On Tuesday, more than a million fans took to the streets to celebrate Mexico’s advancement to the World Cup’s round of 16, a feat the national team hadn’t achieved since 1986, and with each victory, the human tide grows.
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As America begins to celebrate its 250th birthday on Saturday, there are nearly 800,000 customers without power as outages are reported across multiple states.
Verb
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He has been blessed with terrific talent but clearly has melded that talent to win games and keep the clubhouse on the same page.
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Despite his age, Messi is still blessed with breathtaking skill, and is also fiercely competitive, even at training.
Verb
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The cruelest dimension of this is that a Christianity hijacked by the evangelical right now seeks to sanctify that mythology in the name of God.
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But far from celebrating or sanctifying the throwing off of English rule, the story’s shocking ending portrays the patriots as a fiendish mob, and casts doubt on the bedrock American faith in prosperity.
Verb
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The stage in question was newly erected on the White House lawn for the Freedom 250 celebration, planned to commemorate the semiquincentennial of America's founding.
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To commemorate America’s 250th birthday, the Social Security Administration will issue limited-edition Social Security cards to babies born from Thursday to the end of the year.
Verb
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Leaders from India’s ruling Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have publicly praised bhajan clubbing gatherings.
-
Magazine, praising Swift's ability to handle intense public scrutiny.
Cite this Entry
“Solemnize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/solemnize. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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