spiritualize

verb

Definition of spiritualizenext
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
  1. sanctify
  2. baptize
  3. consecrate
  4. sacralize
  5. purify
  6. cleanse
  7. canonize
  8. hallow
Verb
  • 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
  • To say that the Union was sacred and the touchstone of democracy was to strengthen slavery by sanctifying the state that protected it.
    — Dominic Erdozain, Time, 3 July 2026
Definition of sanctify
Verb
  • She was later baptized in the Private Chapel of Windsor Castle in April 2004.
    — Kelsie Gibson, PEOPLE, 14 Aug. 2026
  • In 2018, Jair Bolsonaro was baptized by a far-right Brazilian evangelical pastor and politician in the River Jordan.
    — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of baptize
Verb
  • 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
  • The Vatican declared the group of hundreds of thousands of people worldwide in schism after the SSPX consecrated four bishops in Switzerland without Pope Leo XIV’s approval this month.
    — Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 15 July 2026
Definition of consecrate
Verb
  • The coronation merely confirms and sacralizes his inheritance.
    — Matt Ford, The New Republic, 5 May 2023
Definition of sacralize
Verb
  • But what if the water and nutrients could be purified from whey permeate and used for other purposes?
    — Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Once hydrogen is flowing from the ground, how will the gas be purified?
    — IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of purify
Verb
  • The best shampoos cleanse your scalp and hair from roots to ends, freeing it from buildup and gunk without stripping the scalp of natural and vital oils.
    — Jessie Quinn, StyleCaster, 16 Aug. 2026
  • That’s where Pattern’s new Detox Shampoo comes in to deeply cleanse the hair and scalp of all products and buildup without drying it out.
    — Brianna J. Heath, Vogue, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of cleanse
Verb
  • English added that the name was also inspired by Maria Adelaide, a Portuguese woman who is considered an honorary saint despite never being officially canonized.
    — Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The poem is nearly 3,000 years old, emerging centuries before the New Testament was canonized.
    — John Blake, CNN Money, 2 Aug. 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

“Spiritualize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spiritualize. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of rigmarole

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

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

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All