SPIRITUALIZE Synonyms: 38 Similar and Opposite Words

spiritualize

verb

Definition of spiritualize

as in to sanctify

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of spiritualize None of this is intended to take away from the ambivalent and sometimes plainly harmful effects of attempts to spiritualize the pandemic. — Benjamin Kirby, Quartz Africa, 1 May 2020 Thought and speech — thought’s public projection — are both combined and spiritualized. — Brian T. Allen, National Review, 22 June 2019 The biblical Song of Solomon is a key scripture for the Zohar, and its lush gardens of desire are spiritualized into realms of sacred love, but without losing anything of their erotic passion. — Arthur Green, The Atlantic, 25 Aug. 2017

Recent Examples of Synonyms for spiritualize

Verb

Guns became sacred, and violence was increasingly justified, if not sanctified.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 25 Aug. 2026
The church has always preached that humans are created in God’s image; by assuming the messy fragility of human form, God’s son sanctified human experience.

— Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of sanctify

Verb

The King’s wife, Queen Mette-Marit, is also expected to be consecrated during the ceremony.

— Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 28 Aug. 2026
Still, there were only eight African Anglican clergy in Kenya by 1920, and the first Kenyan bishops would not be consecrated until 1955.

— Stephanie TriplettAll, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of consecrate

Verb

Instead of sugar or salt, this scalp scrub counts on apricot seed to exfoliate and menthol to purify.

— Brigitt Earley, Glamour, 14 Sep. 2026
There are many easy and cost-effective ways to purify water, such as boiling, filtration and treating with chemical disinfectants.

— Elaine Reno, The Conversation, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of purify

Verb

Henry says that cleansing too aggressively can contribute to barrier disruption as well.

— Lindy Segal, Glamour, 22 Sep. 2026
Soon, he and two other guests are taken hostage by Joan (Taylor-Joy) and her radical followers, who believe that a volcanic event will cleanse the planet.

— Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of cleanse

Verb

Yet, these grounds were hallowed to the African American community.

— Chip Colwell, The Conversation, 22 Oct. 2025
In a new political environment in which none of the new leaders could claim to be revolutionary founding fathers, Deng’s blessing hallowed Jiang and Hu and helped ensure that each survived the vicissitudes of succession politics.

— Jonathan A. Czin, Foreign Affairs, 21 Oct. 2025

Definition of hallow

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spirituality

spiritualize

spiritualized

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“Spiritualize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spiritualize. Accessed 25 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of spiritualize

verb

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