anointment

American  

[uh-noint-muhnt] / əˈnɔɪnt mənt /

noun

plural

anointments

1. an act or instance of anointing or the role or position for which someone is anointed; (often used facetiously instead of appointment).

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Other Word Forms

• self-anointment noun

Explanation

An anointment is the application of oil in a religious ceremony. You don't anoint your pasta with olive oil, anointment is usually performed by a religious leader on a person being blessed. You're most likely to come across the noun anointment in a religious text or discussion. It's a kind of ritual that takes place in many different religions, and it always involves a special substance — most often oil, water, or milk — applied to a person's forehead or another part of the body. Sometimes kings or priests go through an anointment ceremony, for example. The Latin root is inunguere, which means "to anoint or to smear on."

Example Sentences

The anointment of Sir David Beckham is a moment of establishment recognition three decades in the making.

From BBC • Jun. 14, 2025

‘Midnights’’ anointment at the Grammys feels like a reflexive response to Swift’s omnipresence, crowding out more impressive work — namely SZA’s masterful ‘SOS’ — in the name of remaining ‘in touch.’

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 7, 2024

From the religious symbolism of his anointment to the moment when the crown is placed on his head, what are the highlights to look out for during the coronation of King Charles on Saturday?

From Reuters • May 4, 2023

“There’s a huge anointment and entitlement that can affect your program. So now it turns for us to … what we’ve got to do to keep it going.”

From Seattle Times • Jan. 11, 2022

The anointment is done, and the priest moves on, only the dull feeling of helplessness remains.

From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya