canonize

[ kan-uh-nahyz ]

/ ˈkæn əˌnaɪz /

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See synonyms for: canonize / canonization on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), can·on·ized, can·on·iz·ing.

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.

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Also especially British, can·on·ise .

Origin of canonize

1350–1400; Middle English. See canon¹, -ize

OTHER WORDS FROM canonize

can·on·i·za·tion, nouncan·on·iz·er, nounsu·per·can·on·i·za·tion, nounun·can·on·i·za·tion, noun

un·can·on·ize, verb (used with object), un·can·on·ized, un·can·on·iz·ing.

Words nearby canonize

canonicate, canonicity, Canonicus, canonist, canonization, canonize, canon law, canonry, Canonsburg, canonship, canons regular

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use canonize in a sentence

According to this text, Petros, a noblewoman later canonized as a saint, married a general and became pregnant three times.
As Texas Ban On Abortion Goes Into Effect, A Religion Scholar Explains That Pre-Modern Christian Attitudes On Marriage And Reproductive Rights Were Quite Different|LGBTQ-Editor|September 13, 2021|No Straight News
It was he who prevailed upon the Pope to canonize Archbishop Anselm.
The Cathedral Church of Canterbury [2nd ed.].|Hartley Withers
Not satisfied with three Gods, they must canonize and deify men and make saints and demi-gods.
Abraham Lincoln: Was He A Christian?|John B. Remsburg
Annyway, I'll give um full absolution, so that death can't hurt um sariously, an' I'll canonize him as a martyr.
Humorous Masterpieces from American Literature|Various

We were almost ready, in our thankfulness and joy, to canonize the ship and crew, and cut her up into snuffboxes and toothpicks.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 18, No. 110, December, 1866|Various
But this could hardly be, for the king would not canonize himself, and it is he who will name them when founding them.
The Correspondence of Madame, Princess Palatine, Mother of the Regent; of Marie-Adlade de Savoie, Duchesse de Bourgogne; and of Madame de Maintenon, in Relation to Saint-Cyr|Charlotte-Elisabeth, duchesse d Orlans; Marie Adelaide, of Savoy, Duchess of Burgundy; and Madame de Maintenon

British Dictionary definitions for canonize

canonize

canonise

/ (ˈkænəˌnaɪz) /

verb (tr)

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

Derived forms of canonize

canonization or canonisation, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

canonize

Origin of canonize

OTHER WORDS FROM canonize

Words nearby canonize

Words related to canonize

How to use canonize in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for canonize

canonise

Derived forms of canonize