SPIRITUALIZE Synonyms: 38 Similar and Opposite Words

spiritualize

verb

Definition of spiritualize

as in to sanctify

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

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

His unselfishness prevents him from being made to look a fool, and instead he is dignified by it, sanctified by it.

— Artforum, Artforum, 4 Nov. 2026
At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth felt her baby leap in her womb, which signified that John had become sanctified and cleansed of original sin, as if by baptism, according to Catholic doctrine.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of sanctify

Verb

Feast celebrating the birth of the Jewish prophet who preached the imminence of God’s Final Judgment and baptized those who repented in self-preparation for it.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026
Jordan has one of the oldest Christian communities, and the country takes its name from the river that runs along its border with Israel and the West Bank, where Jesus is believed to have been baptized.

— Mohamad El Chamaa, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of baptize

Verb

It was consecrated by James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, young Black and Jewish men murdered together in 1964 for their work to register Black voters.

— Seth Limmer, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026
In Sugar Land, Texas, a 90-foot statue of the deity Hanuman, consecrated in 2024 at a temple complex, continues to draw disparaging comments, including one YouTube personality who recently urged its demolition.

— ABC News, ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of consecrate

Verb

The bubbles deliver oxygen and other gases that naturally purify water and eliminate bad bacteria.

— Sofia Saric, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2026
At London’s Clarify Clinics, founder Yael Cohen has developed the controversial Clari Procedure, a patented two-hour IV treatment that claims to purify the blood plasma.

— Tracy Achonwa, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of purify

Verb

At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth felt her baby leap in her womb, which signified that John had become sanctified and cleansed of original sin, as if by baptism, according to Catholic doctrine.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026
Tucson recently expanded its groundwater treatment plant, opening a dedicated facility to cleanse the aquifer of forever chemicals.

— Gaby Del Valle, The Verge, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of cleanse

Verb

First Indigenous woman of North America to be canonized as a saint of the Roman Catholic Church.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026
But whether in Frankfurt or, later, Weimar — where Soviet officials are as keen to canonize Thomas — this father and daughter aren’t simply driving through Germany but taking a tour across fascism’s long shadow, which still darkens the world.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of canonize

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

Browse Nearby Words

spirituality

spiritualize

spiritualized

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Spiritualize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spiritualize. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of spiritualize

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

quondam

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

The Words of the Week - Nov. 6

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes