canonize
Americanverb (used with object)
-
Ecclesiastical. to place in the canon of saints.
-
to glorify.
-
to make canonical; place or include within a canon, especially of scriptural works.
They canonized the Song of Solomon after much controversy.
-
to consider or treat as sacrosanct or holy.
They canonized his many verbal foibles and made them gospel.
-
to sanction or approve authoritatively, especially ecclesiastically.
-
Archaic. to deify.
verb
-
RC Church to declare (a person) to be a saint and thus admit to the canon of saints
-
to regard as holy or as a saint
-
to sanction by canon law; pronounce valid
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
canonizationnoun
-
canonizernoun
-
supercanonizationnoun
-
uncanonizationnoun
-
uncanonizeverb (used with object)
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
canonizesimple
-
canonizessimple
-
have canonizedperfect
-
has canonizedperfect
-
am canonizingprogressive
-
are canonizingprogressive
-
is canonizingprogressive
-
have been canonizingperfect progressive
-
has been canonizingperfect progressive
Past
-
canonizedsimple
-
had canonizedperfect
-
was canonizingprogressive
-
were canonizingprogressive
-
had been canonizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of canonize
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; canon 1 ( def. ) + -ize ( def. )
Explanation
When you canonize a person, you put him on a pedestal — in other words, you think he's so wonderful that he can do no wrong. You might canonize your grandmother after she dies, choosing to remember her as a saint who never raised her voice and was kind to everyone. When the Roman Catholic Church canonizes someone, it has a slightly different meaning. The Church canonizes people who have performed miracles and are declared — literally — to be saints. The literal meaning is "place in the canon of saints," and it comes from the Latin canon, "church rule."
Vocabulary lists containing canonize
World Religions
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Angela's Ashes
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for May 14–May 20, 2022
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Memes, livestreams and hashtags now allow anyone to canonize someone they admire.
From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2025
As we posthumously canonize David Lynch, it might be tempting to assume he came out of the womb the supremely confident, eccentric auteur the world became enthralled by in the 1980s and ’90s.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 28, 2025
“It’s a gift of God that Pope Francis — an Argentine pope, a Jesuit pope — can canonize her,” he said.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 11, 2024
Beat by beat, the story crystalizing around her death recalls the efforts by a previous generation of nativists to canonize a 19-year-old apprentice, George Shiffler, shot dead in a street riot on May 6, 1844.
From Slate ● Sep. 1, 2021
Annyway, I'll give um full absolution, so that death can't hurt um sariously, an' I'll canonize him as a martyr.
From Humorous Masterpieces from American Literature by Various
—Pope Francis announces the revocation of sainthood for Father Junipero Serra and canonizes Huell Howser as California’s patron saint.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 5, 2021
In the afternoon, he celebrates Mass and canonizes the Rev. Junípero Serra, the first canonization in the United States.
From New York Times ● Sep. 23, 2015
Pope Benedict swiftly canonizes a deserving trio of new saints.
From Slate ● Feb. 19, 2013
On September 4, Mother Teresa will be elevated to sainthood when Pope Francis canonizes her at the Vatican.
From National Geographic
And Tsao Chün, 166–167 Li Shih-min, Emperor; and legend of the five graduates, 243 sq.; and Chang T’ien-shih, 243 sq.; visited by spirits of the graduates, 245–246; canonizes the graduates, 246 Li T’ieh-kuai.
From Myths and Legends of China by Werner, E. T. C. (Edward Theodore Chalmers)
Nicknamed “God’s influencer,” Carlo was canonized for his internet evangelism, his faith amid fatal sickness and other reasons, including two healing miracles attributed to his posthumous intervention.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 28, 2025
Catholic school nuns practically canonized John F. Kennedy, never ceasing to remind us students that he was the first Catholic President.
From Salon ● Aug. 18, 2024
Adherents follow a canonized, common form of the hadith and interpretation of the Quran, although different schools of law exist that provide variable interpretation and guidance to the religious faithful.
From Textbooks ● Apr. 19, 2023
Francis finished the job in 2014 when he canonized John Paul along with St. John XXIII.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 31, 2022
Mamita, furious at hearing her husband canonized at her expense, took her revenge.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
Tom Kenny is canonizing a popular “SpongeBob SquarePants” fan theory.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2024
Zalasiewicz, a geologist at the University of Leicester, has expressed support for canonizing the Anthropocene.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 9, 2024
The real, everyday beauty of Africa is worth canonizing beyond the continent.
From New York Times ● Feb. 9, 2021
I wholeheartedly concur that Mr. McCain deserves honoring, but canonizing him, as the media and the political elite seem to be doing, is going way too far.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 5, 2018
He became the hero of the people, who went near to canonizing him after his death.
From Signs of Change by Morris, William
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.
