sanctity

[sangk-ti-tee]

noun

plural

sanctities 

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 Word Forms

• nonsanctity noun
• unsanctity noun

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

Such trivial concerns were left to lesser schools, institutions that perhaps couldn’t appreciate the sanctity of a 10-week regular season, the purity of life without football scholarships, or the venerable tradition of Harvard-Yale.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The bishops called for immigration reform and said they were troubled by threats against the “sanctity of houses of worship and special nature of hospitals and schools.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

They said they were also troubled by the threats against the “sanctity of houses of worship and special nature of hospitals and schools.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Why would a value tied to cleanliness and sanctity shape how people judge billionaires?

Read more on Salon

Addressing parliament, Mitsotakis emphasised the need to "preserve the sanctity" of a place "of memory for the dead... who allowed us to be free and to offer this freedom to our children".

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

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