1
as in to purge
to free from moral guilt or blemish especially ceremonially
received the sacrament of penance, whereby they were sanctified and restored to divine grace
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2
as in to bless
to make holy through prayers or ritual
sanctify the bread for Communion
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Recent Examples of sanctify
In Kahane’s theology, Jewish weakness was the sacrilege, and Jewish strength sanctified God.
—
Gershom Gorenberg, The Atlantic, 30 May 2025
G‑d’s purpose in creating the world was that all of creation be sanctified, imbuing it with holiness and spirituality.
—Rabbi Moishe Kievman, Sun Sentinel, 20 May 2025
His magnetic, restrained performance gives flesh to this mythical character, without ever sanctifying him.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 9 May 2025
In the West, she’s been sanctified, but also portrayed as a sinner, a nun, a mystic, and Jesus’ wife.
—Eliza Griswold, New Yorker, 19 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sanctify
Gershom Gorenberg, The Atlantic, 30 May 2025
G‑d’s purpose in creating the world was that all of creation be sanctified, imbuing it with holiness and spirituality.
—Rabbi Moishe Kievman, Sun Sentinel, 20 May 2025
His magnetic, restrained performance gives flesh to this mythical character, without ever sanctifying him.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 9 May 2025
In the West, she’s been sanctified, but also portrayed as a sinner, a nun, a mystic, and Jesus’ wife.
—Eliza Griswold, New Yorker, 19 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sanctify
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sanctify
Verb
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In an interview with Cycling Weekly last year, Slovenian Jan Tratnik said that his desperation to lose weight led him to develop bulimia – binge-eating large amounts of food and purging it to avoid weight gain.—
George Ramsay,
CNN Money,
23 Oct. 2025
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Miao is one of the highest-ranking CMC officials to be purged since the 1960s and is particularly significant since he was personally elevated to the CMC by Xi.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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And if you’re blessed enough to receive an inheritance abroad, don’t celebrate too quickly.—
Essence,
Essence,
23 Oct. 2025
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Onward and upward The unpleasantly steep hills that I'm blessed with between my home and the city often proved too much for the hub motor.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Like the process of purifying reuse water, the desalination process is more expensive than the typical methods of treating non-brackish groundwater for consumption.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
21 Oct. 2025
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These stem cells are purified in a lab, and then modified using an inactivated form of the virus that causes HIV.—
Kaitlin Sullivan,
NBC news,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Some of these caves have fireplaces, and some were consecrated and used as churches, known as rupestre.—
Aileen Weintraub,
Smithsonian Magazine,
23 July 2025
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And so, next door to the photo booth where Nic and Cierra consecrated their mutual vibe, cowgirl style, Hannah climbs onto Pepe’s muscular thighs and gets a little cowgirl make-out of her own.—
Kathleen Walsh,
Vulture,
18 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sanctify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sanctify. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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