anointed

[ uh-noin-tid ]

adjective

1. consecrated or made sacred; dedicated to God, often in a ceremony that includes dabbing or sprinkling with holy oil:

   In the Bible, the anointed High Priest was chosen from among the descendants of Aaron.

   From the highest patriarch to the youngest baptized and anointed infant, communion was received by all at the Orthodox church.

2. chosen by or as if by divine authority; chosen for a sacred, high, or special vocation or purpose:

   Stalin left no anointed successor, nor any framework for the orderly transfer of power.

3. Christianity. empowered or made effective for God’s purposes by the special activity of the Holy Spirit:

   This is one of the most anointed websites I’ve ever visited—I was so encouraged by the devotional there.

4. rubbed or sprinkled with oil, ointment, or other oil-based mixture:

   Pausing in the kitchen with the turkey, I heard ripples of anticipation as guests awaited the anointed bird and its accouterments.

5. sprinkled or smeared with any liquid (often used in combination):

   The Pilsner on tap was a lovely light beer that paired nicely with lemon-juice-anointed oysters.

noun

1. Often A·noint·ed. the person or people chosen or declared chosen by God:

   David kept Abishai from killing King Saul, because it would be wicked to attack the Lord's anointed.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of anoint.

Other Words From

• self-a·noint·ed adjective
• un·a·noint·ed adjective
• well-a·noint·ed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of anointed¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; anoint ( def ) + -ed ²( def ) for the adjective and noun senses; anoint ( def ) + -ed ¹( def ) for the verb sense

Example Sentences

In 2015, Aetna’s Bertolini anointed her as his successor following a two-person race with an internal candidate.

From Fortune

This past summer, Colleen LaRose, known by her self-anointed handle ‘Jihad Jane’, was sentenced to ten years in prison.

From The Daily Beast

It won him over, and in 1981, he succeeded Stanley, and rebranded it “ATLAH,” which stands for "All the Land Anointed Holy."

From The Daily Beast

The Prophet Elisha, who allegedly built the synagogue, was said to have anointed King Hazael on its steps, now gone.

From The Daily Beast

Now she is being touted as the anointed successor in his political empire, too.

From The Daily Beast

For this raid, Mavrokordato anointed him, rather ridiculously, Archistrategos or commander-in-chief of Western Greece.

From The Daily Beast

And I washed thee with water, and cleansed away thy blood from thee: and I anointed thee with oil.

From Project Gutenberg

Welty had been taken in the night before, his bruises had been anointed, and he had been provisioned for the journey.

From Project Gutenberg

Bring forward, O strongly-anointed priests, your libations to the strong host of the Maruts, the strongly advancing.

From Project Gutenberg

But that night God anointed me for street preaching and for work in slums, dives and saloons.

From Project Gutenberg

And shouts of praise went up to God all over that ground, for He especially anointed me to sing that hymn.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• angelic
• celestial
• eternal
• heavenly
• holy
• mystical
• religious
• sacred
• spiritual
• supernatural
• transcendent
• wonderful