anointment
Americannoun
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Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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
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:
The anointment of Sir David Beckham is a moment of establishment recognition three decades in the making.
From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2025
Taylor Swift dominated popular culture, with her record-shattering $1 billion concert tour, her anointment as Time magazine’s Person of the Year and her high-profile romance with Travis Kelce, the Kansas City Chiefs football star.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 20, 2023
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
The one limit on cameras at Elizabeth’s coronation was to deny them a view of the ritual anointment of the new queen.
From New York Times ● Sep. 19, 2022
The anointment is done, and the priest moves on, only the dull feeling of helplessness remains.
From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya
At the once I get a move on and safe within my room make yet again anointments of hair that I may to compose Poem.
From Seven Maids of Far Cathay by Bing Ding, Ed.
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.
