sanctity
Americannoun
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sanctities
plural
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holiness, saintliness, or godliness.
-
sacred or hallowed character.
the inviolable sanctity of the temple.
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a sacred thing.
noun
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the condition of being sanctified; holiness
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anything regarded as sanctified or holy
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the condition of being inviolable; sacredness
the sanctity of marriage
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of sanctity
1350–1400; < Latin sānctitās holiness, equivalent to sānct- ( see Sanctus) + -itās -ity; replacing Middle English sauntite < Anglo-French < Latin, as above
Explanation
Sanctity describes something that is holy, like the sanctity of religious objects to believers. Sanctity goes back to the Latin root sanctus, meaning "holy" or "sacred." A synonym for sanctity is godliness and most religions describe God as completely holy. Sanctity also can describe sacred obligation or rights — you may have heard of the sanctity of marriage, meaning the value and respect society shows to married people.
Vocabulary lists containing sanctity
"Nature" by Ralph Waldo Emerson
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This Week in Pop Culture: April 6–12, 2019
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The Handmaid's Tale
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In a statement, Doha said it was "a grave assault on the sanctity of Islamic holy sites", a violation of Saudi sovereignty and international law.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
No wonder the action sequences never seem exhilarating — Latif may be adept at staying alive, but the sanctity of his soul is another matter entirely.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
“At the core of most religious traditions is a recognition of the sanctity of life and humanity over injury and profit,” Rabbi Jennie Rosenn of the Jewish climate advocacy group Dayenu said in a statement.
From Salon ● Aug. 3, 2026
Now rulings by courts, the provincial government and Ottawa may undermine the sanctity of their contracts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 29, 2026
Rasheed saw sanctity in what they had together.
From "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini
“No one would dare to insult Islamic sanctities from now on,” he said.
From New York Times ● Feb. 16, 2022
"We believe that sanctities need to be respected," he said before nuclear talks in Geneva with U.S.
From Reuters ● Jan. 14, 2015
“We believe that sanctities need to be respected,” Zarif said.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 14, 2015
"We believe that sanctities need to be respected," Zarif said.
From Reuters ● Jan. 14, 2015
Why strip Man of his fancy appendages, his adventitious sanctities, if you are going to give him instead only a few yards of shoddy?
From The Book of Khalid by Ameen Fares Rihani
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
