saintly

[ seynt-lee ]
See synonyms for saintly on Thesaurus.com
adjective,saint·li·er, saint·li·est.
  1. pertaining to, like, or befitting a saint: saintly lives.

Origin of saintly

1
First recorded in 1650–60; saint + -ly

Other words from saintly

  • saint·li·ness, noun
  • hy·per·saint·ly, adjective
  • quasi-saintly, adjective
  • su·per·saint·ly, adjective
  • un·saint·ly, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use saintly in a sentence

  • What she achieved through saintliness and devoutness, they make her out to have accomplished by intelligent enthusiasm.

  • The saintliness of this broad-minded divine's character emerges unsullied from an age of contentious bigotry.

  • His manner changed; the saintliness vanished from his attitude; the expression of his face became sly and knowing.

  • After all, saintliness is never a reality; it is always more or less an idealisation of the image by the mirror.

    The Saint | Antonio Fogazzaro
  • And this mere title, I feel sure, has encouraged and comforted many: ‘Saintliness not forfeited by the Penitent.’

    Samuel Rutherford | Alexander Whyte

British Dictionary definitions for saintly

saintly

/ (ˈseɪntlɪ) /


adjective-lier or -liest
  1. like, relating to, or suitable for a saint

Derived forms of saintly

  • saintlily, adverb
  • saintliness, 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