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
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have anointedperfect
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has anointedperfect 3rd person singular
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have been anointingperfect progressive
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am anointingprogressive 1st person singular
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has been anointingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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is anointingprogressive 3rd person singular
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are anointingprogressive
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anointingparticiple
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anointssingular 3rd person
Past
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had anointedperfect
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were anointingprogressive plural
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had been anointingperfect progressive
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anointedparticiple
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was anointingprogressive singular
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anointedsimple
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.
Look at the way we anoint actors, pop stars, politicians.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 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
Is it too early to anoint the next Zach Bryan?
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 27, 2024
A certain number of delegates is needed to formally anoint the nominee at each party's convention this summer.
From BBC • Mar. 4, 2024
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
From "While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement" by Carolyn Maull McKinstry
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.
