SANCTIFY Synonyms: 66 Similar and Opposite Words

sanctify

verb

ˈsaŋ(k)-tə-ˌfī

Definition of sanctify

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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as in to bless

to make holy through prayers or ritual sanctify the bread for Communion

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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 sanctify When a couple marry in a church, synagogue or mosque, the ceremony does more than sanctify a union. — Peter McGraw, The Conversation, 23 Apr. 2026 Like much of the first half of the episode, before the plane crash, this gala sequence is shot in silky gold colors, as if John and Carolyn had already been sanctified. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 27 Mar. 2026 There was no contradiction for these women in using sacred imagery to dramatize erotic love, or Scripture to sanctify desire. — Chandler Fritz, The New York Review of Books, 21 Mar. 2026 That was until Pope Leo inadvertently sanctified them in 2026. — Paul Keane, Hartford Courant, 22 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sanctify

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sanctify

Verb

Xi has purged or expelled most of the seven-member Central Military Commission, leaving just him and one other member.

— Sylvie Zhuang, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2026
Even when Putin purged Russia’s defense ministry for corruption, including much of Shoigu’s own personal network, Putin transferred Shoigu to a weighty role in the Security Council rather than disempower him.

— Julian G. Waller, Foreign Affairs, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of purge

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

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sanctifies

sanctify

sanctifying

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

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Synonyms of sanctify

verb

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