sanctity

[ sangk-ti-tee ]

noun

, plural sanc·ti·ties.

1. holiness, saintliness, or godliness.
2. sacred or hallowed character:

   the inviolable sanctity of the temple.

3. a sacred thing.

sanctity

/ ˈsæŋktɪtɪ /

noun

1. the condition of being sanctified; holiness
2. anything regarded as sanctified or holy
3. the condition of being inviolable; sacredness

   the sanctity of marriage

Other Words From

• non·sancti·ty noun plural nonsanctities
• un·sancti·ty noun plural unsanctities

Word History and Origins

Origin of sanctity¹

1350–1400; < Latin sānctitās holiness, equivalent to sānct- ( Sanctus ) + -itās -ity; replacing Middle English sauntite < Anglo-French < Latin, as above

Word History and Origins

Origin of sanctity¹

C14: from Old French saincteté, from Latin sanctitās, from sanctus holy

Idioms and Phrases

see odor of sanctity .

Example Sentences

Manchin and Sinema, though, have already said they won’t violate the sanctity of the reconciliation process, suggesting they would not back such a move.

From Vox

I’m pretty sure he learned something about the sanctity of life.

From Washington Post

While many of these guides and porters are still not fans of the project, they’re less worried about job loss and more concerned about the sanctity of their treasured home mountain.

From Outside Online

Each time, she had to reverify her identity and the sanctity of her surroundings, burning vital time.

From Washington Post

Over the past several decades, professional sports leagues have been noticeably quiet as their embattled teams defended the sanctity of Native mascots on the grounds that they are an athletic tradition.

From FiveThirtyEight

It was only much later that I began to question his sanctity, and then to hate what he stood for.

From The Daily Beast

As teenagers, we were taught about the sanctity of life with a graphic depiction of an aborted fetus.

From The Daily Beast

Paeans to patrimony and to the sanctity of land are good at rallying the faithful not only for Jews, but also Arabs.

From The Daily Beast

De Blasio cited the sanctity of the vote and said he did not have to answer.

From The Daily Beast

She kept resisting out of a sense of congressional sanctity that the representatives themselves were besmirching.

From The Daily Beast

Ah, but you mustn't think that after four years of war one has quite the same ideas about the sanctity of human life.

From Project Gutenberg

They enjoyed the especial protection of the law, and were invested with a sort of religious sanctity.

From Project Gutenberg

These were buried, not in the Catacombs, but in the basilicas erected over them, which were considered to share their sanctity.

From Project Gutenberg

It has also been frequently adorned with paintings, a sure indication of its especial sanctity.

From Project Gutenberg

A subterranean cell of peculiar sanctity is said to have been the scene of her degradation and deliverance.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• divinity
• faith
• inviolability
• purity
• righteousness
• solemnity
• spirituality