sanctity
Americannoun
plural
sanctities-
holiness, saintliness, or godliness.
-
sacred or hallowed character.
the inviolable sanctity of the temple.
-
a sacred thing.
noun
-
the condition of being sanctified; holiness
-
anything regarded as sanctified or holy
-
the condition of being inviolable; sacredness
the sanctity of marriage
Other Word Forms
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.
They are trained to clearly identify themselves, de-escalate tensions, respect the sanctity of life and quickly render aid to anyone they wound.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 28, 2026
Meanwhile, Sioux City has been dubbed Sewer City for its fixation on the sanctity of its public works.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 26, 2025
Why would a value tied to cleanliness and sanctity shape how people judge billionaires?
From Salon • Oct. 25, 2025
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".
From Barron's • Oct. 23, 2025
Anyone who failed to get his message through in three minutes, as I sometimes failed to do when trying to impress him, Phineas, with my sanctity, wasn’t trying.
From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles
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.
