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

Here, the real Presley is charismatic as hell, and looks great beaded in sanctified sweat.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 11, 2025

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

But it is, weirdly enough, the home of an actual Buddhist that shatters the sanctified mood.

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich