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spiritualize

verb

Definition of spiritualizenext
as in to sanctify

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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
  • 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
  • Among these are baptisms, including ceremonies in which current members are baptized on behalf of their deceased, non-Mormon ancestors.
    — Brandon Griggs, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026
  • She was later baptized in the Private Chapel of Windsor Castle in April 2004.
    — Kelsie Gibson, PEOPLE, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of baptize
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
  • The coronation merely confirms and sacralizes his inheritance.
    — Matt Ford, The New Republic, 5 May 2023
Definition of sacralize
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
  • 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
  • Kansas’ Union soldiers, who were known as Jayhawkers, responded by cleansing three Missouri counties along the border and stacking a similar number of dead bodies in retaliation.
    — Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of cleanse
Verb
  • The film doesn’t canonize Heumann, instead showing her as dedicated leader who is also prickly, brash, and set in her ways.
    — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Elizabeth Ann Seton was canonized by Pope Paul VI, becoming the first person born in what's now the United States to be named a Roman Catholic saint.
    — USA Today, USA Today, 1 Sep. 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
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Cite this Entry

“Spiritualize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spiritualize. Accessed 18 Sep. 2026.

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