beatification
Americannoun
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the act of beatifying.
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the state of being beatified.
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Roman Catholic Church. the official act of the pope whereby a deceased person is declared to be enjoying the happiness of heaven, and therefore a proper subject of religious honor and public cult in certain places.
Etymology
Origin of beatification
1495–1505; < Late Latin beātificātiōn- (stem of beātificātiō ), equivalent to beātificāt ( us ) (past participle of beātificāre to beatify ) + -iōn- -ion; see -ate 1
Explanation
Beatification is making someone blissful or extremely happy. It's also an action by the Pope that honors a dead person for being holy. For most of us, beatification is the action of making someone blissfully happy. That kind of beatification produces pure joy. In the Catholic Church, it's the declaration by a pope that someone is entitled to public veneration. After her death in 1997, Mother Theresa of Calcutta was beatified by Pope John Paul II. Beatification is a step along the path to canonization: when someone is made a saint. Only a very holy person can be a candidate for beatification.
Vocabulary lists containing beatification
Challenge, List 12
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List 9
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All Saints' Day
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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.
Vietnam has had 117 people beatified and later canonised as saints, but the Church said this was the first time a beatification ceremony had been held in the country rather than at the Vatican.
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
Lyle Menendez spearheaded a beatification project at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility, and his brother has organized artwork for the project.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2025
The documentation from the Vatican archives, published this weekend in Italian daily Corriere della Sera, is likely to further fuel the debate about Pius’ legacy and his now-stalled beatification campaign.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 16, 2023
A beatification Mass service has been held in Poland for a Catholic family murdered by Nazis for hiding Jews during World War Two.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2023
To live among men, and thus to be subjected to corroding cares and to the swaying passions of human society, renders the attainment of beatification impossible.
From India's Problem, Krishna or Christ by Jones, John P. (John Peter)
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.
