solemnify

American

[suh-lem-nuh-fahy] / səˈlɛm nəˌfaɪ /

verb (used with object)

solemnified, solemnifying

to make solemn.

to solemnify an occasion with hymns and prayers.

solemnify British

/ səˈlɛmnɪˌfaɪ /

verb

(tr) to make serious or grave

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

solemnification noun
unsolemnified adjective

Etymology

Origin of solemnify

First recorded in 1880–85; solemn + -ify

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.

Then, last year, he decided to have a go – and by "have a go" we mean "solemnify" – Mariah Carey's Touch My Body and Destiny's Child's Say My Name.

From The Guardian • Mar. 13, 2013

When his counterpart, James Baker, appears in the briefing room they share, the former Secretary of State brings aides, files and a bank of supplementary flags to solemnify his surroundings.

From Time Magazine Archive

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023