sanctified

American  

[sangk-tuh-fahyd] / ˈsæŋk təˌfaɪd /

adjective

1. made holy; consecrated.

   sanctified wine.

2. sanctimonious.

   a sickening, sanctified smile.

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sanctified British  

/ ˈsæŋktɪˌfaɪd /

adjective

1. consecrated or made holy

2. a less common word for sanctimonious

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Other Word Forms

• sanctifiedly
  adjective
• unsanctified
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of sanctified

First recorded in 1475–85; sanctify + -ed ²

Explanation

Something that's sanctified is blessed or holy. In many religions, buildings, objects, and people can be sanctified. A sanctified chalice of wine and sanctified wafers are used in many churches' Holy Communion (or Eucharist) rites. To believers, this means that these things have been blessed by God. Sometimes this adjective describes something that is merely acceptable or respectable, like your brother's sanctified behavior at the dinner table. The Latin root of sanctified is sanctus, "holy."

Example Sentences

No one should ever be above skepticism no matter how sanctified and righteous they may seem — that’s why the New York Times investigation crashed into the Chicano collective sense of self like a meteor.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026

Not Section 60, where the atmosphere is sanctified but not somber—too many kids, Meredith recalled from her visits to her son’s burial site.

From Salon • Sep. 5, 2024

“Here, communication between man and God takes place,” said Lyngdoh, a descendant of the priestly clan which sanctified the Mawphlang forest.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 17, 2024

The most extravagant was the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, a coterie of colleagues and admirers with whom he gave critically sanctified summer performances from 2003 until just before his death.

From New York Times • Jun. 23, 2023

She offered him a canteen of unicorn draught - powdered horn mixed with sanctified water from the Little Tiber.

From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan