anoint
Americanverb (used with object)
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to rub or sprinkle on; apply an unguent, ointment, or oily liquid to.
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to smear with any liquid.
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to consecrate or make sacred in a ceremony that includes the token applying of oil.
He anointed the new high priest.
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to dedicate to the service of God.
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to select for an honor, a particular role or office, etc..
After today’s interview, it looks like he will soon be anointed as head of the new Special Projects division.
The headline read, “Dictionary.com anoints ‘allyship’ Word of the Year for 2021.”
verb
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to smear or rub over with oil or an oily liquid
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to apply oil to as a sign of consecration or sanctification in a sacred rite
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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anointsimple
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anointssimple
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have anointedperfect
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has anointedperfect
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am anointingprogressive
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are anointingprogressive
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is anointingprogressive
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have been anointingperfect progressive
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has been anointingperfect progressive
Past
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anointedsimple
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had anointedperfect
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was anointingprogressive
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were anointingprogressive
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had been anointingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of anoint
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English anoynten, derivative of anoynt, enoynt (past participle), from Old French enoint, from Latin inūnctus “anointed” (past participle of inungere ), equivalent to in- in- 2 + ung- “smear with oil” + -tus past participle suffix
Explanation
To anoint means to choose by divine intervention. Or at least it seems like the big guy upstairs had something to do with it. Saints and religious leaders are said to be anointed, but so is that new unstoppable quarterback who saved the team midseason. Anoint comes to us from the ancient Latin word unguere, which means "to smear." Which explains the other sense of this word, which is to apply with oil or another smearable substance, such as during a religious ceremony.
Vocabulary lists containing anoint
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I've Been to the Mountaintop" (1968)
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A Midsummer Night's Dream
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Mythology
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
England often anoint future skippers a long way out - they are usually specialist batters.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
The third-placed Pheu Thai party of jailed former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra agreed to join him in a coalition, alongside several smaller parties, and parliament will anoint him on Thursday.
From Barron's ● Mar. 18, 2026
Manager Dave Roberts refused to anoint Ohtani as his Game 7 starter after the Dodgers’ heart-stopping 3-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jay.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2025
We anoint ourselves the arbiters of what is and what is not intelligence.
From Salon ● Apr. 28, 2024
“Then, in the name of the Six true gods, I anoint you.”
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
Each year TED anoints a small cohort—scientists, artists, activists, and entrepreneurs—as TED Fellows, giving them visibility, coaching, and introductions to potential funders.
From Slate ● May 8, 2026
Overlooking David’s many strapping older brothers, the wise elder anoints the astonished kid as the next king, but cautions him that the ceremony must be kept secret.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 18, 2025
A: When he anoints himself the story's hero.
From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2022
He even creates the genre “History as a Nightmare” and anoints Soviet novelist and political dissident Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn its master practitioner.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 22, 2022
He opens the flask, anoints me, while I seem to faint, with the authentic holy water used on the feet of the holy saint.
From "Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village" by Laura Amy Schlitz
Thatcher, his latest anointed icon, fares no better than a butterfly pinned to his mood board.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
Monuments to Adam Smith and David Hume on the Royal Mile have also been anointed with plastic crowns.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
Valdes was anointed a "hero of the Republic" for his part in the revolution.
From Barron's ● Jun. 21, 2026
They believe that God speaks directly to and through the NAR’s anointed apostles and prophets about current and sometimes future events.
From Salon ● Apr. 4, 2026
She knew that part of Roberto’s appeal was not just that he was young and anointed, but single, too.
From "Bodega Dreams" by Ernesto Quinonez
In that sense, it appeared more like an anointing than a procedural formality: the veteran of the American left passing the baton to a younger standard-bearer.
From Slate ● Jan. 3, 2026
He was anointing them, he said, to become poll workers.
From Slate ● Sep. 25, 2024
Since her star-making turn in “Girls Trip” seven years ago, headlines about Haddish have shifted from anointing her as Hollywood’s next big thing to predicting her downfall after a series of scandals.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 2, 2024
While Liverpool youngster Ben Woodburn grabbed headlines for a goal and assist in World Cup qualifying, Williams was anointing an unused sub as his natural heir as Wales centre-back and leader.
From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2024
But in his own field of endeavor, which he was now practicing, the slow, imperial smelling over and anointing of an area, he has no peer.
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
