anoint
Americanverb (used with object)
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to rub or sprinkle on; apply an unguent, ointment, or oily liquid to.
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to smear with any liquid.
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to consecrate or make sacred in a ceremony that includes the token applying of oil.
He anointed the new high priest.
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to dedicate to the service of God.
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to select for an honor, a particular role or office, etc..
After today’s interview, it looks like he will soon be anointed as head of the new Special Projects division.
The headline read, “Dictionary.com anoints ‘allyship’ Word of the Year for 2021.”
verb
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to smear or rub over with oil or an oily liquid
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to apply oil to as a sign of consecration or sanctification in a sacred rite
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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anointsimple
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anointssimple
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have anointedperfect
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has anointedperfect
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am anointingprogressive
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are anointingprogressive
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is anointingprogressive
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have been anointingperfect progressive
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has been anointingperfect progressive
Past
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anointedsimple
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had anointedperfect
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was anointingprogressive
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were anointingprogressive
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had been anointingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of anoint
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English anoynten, derivative of anoynt, enoynt (past participle), from Old French enoint, from Latin inūnctus “anointed” (past participle of inungere ), equivalent to in- in- 2 + ung- “smear with oil” + -tus past participle suffix
Explanation
To anoint means to choose by divine intervention. Or at least it seems like the big guy upstairs had something to do with it. Saints and religious leaders are said to be anointed, but so is that new unstoppable quarterback who saved the team midseason. Anoint comes to us from the ancient Latin word unguere, which means "to smear." Which explains the other sense of this word, which is to apply with oil or another smearable substance, such as during a religious ceremony.
Vocabulary lists containing anoint
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I've Been to the Mountaintop" (1968)
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A Midsummer Night's Dream
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Mythology
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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.
See Examples For:
The third-placed Pheu Thai party of jailed former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra agreed to join him in a coalition, alongside several smaller parties, and parliament will anoint him on Thursday.
From Barron's ● Mar. 18, 2026
Manager Dave Roberts refused to anoint Ohtani as his Game 7 starter after the Dodgers’ heart-stopping 3-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jay.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2025
Grammy voters go back and forth with this award: Sometimes they anoint headstrong youngsters as rock’s great new hope; other times they congratulate wizened oldsters for staying in the game.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 30, 2025
Nearly four months after the Conservatives went down to their worst defeat in a general election in their history, they are about to anoint a new leader.
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2024
“Seelie Court, twilight folk, come forward and anoint your prince,” Val Moren says.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
Each year TED anoints a small cohort—scientists, artists, activists, and entrepreneurs—as TED Fellows, giving them visibility, coaching, and introductions to potential funders.
From Slate ● May 8, 2026
Overlooking David’s many strapping older brothers, the wise elder anoints the astonished kid as the next king, but cautions him that the ceremony must be kept secret.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 18, 2025
A: When he anoints himself the story's hero.
From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2022
"Governments must give everyone the possibility of earning their bread because this gives them dignity. Work anoints people with dignity," he said.
From Reuters ● Jan. 12, 2022
He opens the flask, anoints me, while I seem to faint, with the authentic holy water used on the feet of the holy saint.
From "Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village" by Laura Amy Schlitz
In the course of a whirlwind four weeks, every wing of the parliamentary Labour Party has anointed him as the only person able to reverse their electoral predicament.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
After her conviction for embezzlement last year, it became clear Le Pen would need a Plan B and eventually she anointed Bardella as her stand-in candidate.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
The current Super Bowl favorites anointed Alabama passer Ty Simpson as their quarterback of the future—even if he’s unlikely to make any difference to their present.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
But the 49-year-old technocrat, who had rarely appeared in the media, was catapulted to the forefront of an election campaign as the anointed successor of President Patrice Talon.
From Barron's ● Apr. 14, 2026
He who was supposedly anointed by God and would rule with Christ for a thousand years.
From "Bodega Dreams" by Ernesto Quinonez
In that sense, it appeared more like an anointing than a procedural formality: the veteran of the American left passing the baton to a younger standard-bearer.
From Slate ● Jan. 3, 2026
Can’t we just enjoy all their greatness as part of Dodgers history without anointing one greater than another?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2025
He was anointing them, he said, to become poll workers.
From Slate ● Sep. 25, 2024
In the UK, the centre of the Coronation was a deeply religious ceremony, steeped in ancient tradition, with the anointing of the monarch with holy oil and a crown being placed upon his head.
From BBC ● Jan. 15, 2024
I was in my room after lunch, reading James chapter five because I would talk about the biblical roots of the anointing of the sick during family time, when I heard the sounds.
From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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.
