noun
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the state or character of being a saint
-
saints collectively
Etymology
Origin of sainthood
Explanation
Sainthood is the state of being a holy person who goes to heaven after death. In the Catholic church, people can achieve sainthood after death. People like Mother Theresa that is, not just any chump. You can use this noun in the religious sense to describe the status of Catholic saints: "Mother Theresa officially achieved sainthood almost twenty years after her death." You can also use sainthood to talk about less-saintly people: "My sister pretends like she's headed for sainthood, but then she sticks her tongue out at me when my parents aren't looking!"
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.
The devout Catholic, whose cause for sainthood is advancing in the Vatican, was hit by a tram while on his way to pray at a church.
From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026
“Intimate Audrey” occasionally strays close to elevating its subject to sainthood, mostly in material regarding her unselfish work for Unicef in Somalia and Ethiopia, which Mr. Ferrer believes broke both her heart and her health.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026
In 2025, she was declared a Servant of God by the Catholic Church - the first step towards sainthood.
From BBC ● Apr. 16, 2026
Acutis was elevated to sainthood on September 7, 2025, by Pope Leo XIV.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2025
He could barely look at her, afraid that on close scrutiny she might dissolve into sainthood and be blown like holy pollen into the sky.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
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.
