Meaning & use
beatification
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Meanings
noununcountablereligion
In the Roman Catholic Church, the official declaration that a person who has died is holy and is now among the blessed, placing them one step away from being named a saint.
Grammar: Usually uncountable when naming the process: beatification takes years of investigation.
Patterns
- beatification of someone
- the beatification process
The beatification of the young woman who cared for the poor drew thousands of visitors to the town.
After beatification, the deceased priest was referred to by the Church as Blessed.
nouncountablereligion
An official ceremony or event at which the Church honors a beatified person, often held in a large public gathering.
Grammar: Countable when referring to one specific ceremony: a beatification was held in Rome.
Patterns
- attend a beatification
- hold a beatification ceremony
The beatification ceremony filled the square with pilgrims from many countries.
Thousands watched the beatification on large screens outside the cathedral.
Common combinations
- beatification ceremony
- The beatification ceremony was broadcast live on national television.
- beatification process
- The beatification process required proof of a miracle linked to her prayers.
- beatification of someone
- The beatification of the 20th-century doctor drew crowds to his home city.
- beatified as a step toward sainthood
- His supporters hope the Church will move him from beatification to canonization.
Synonyms and how they differ
- canonization
- Similar church ceremony, but canonization is the later and final step, when a person is officially declared a saint, while beatification comes before it.
Word family
Commonly confused: beatification or canonization? beatification or beautification?
beatification vs canonization
Both are Catholic declarations about holy people, but beatification comes first and canonization, which makes the person a saint, comes second.
beatification vs beautification
Spelled with 'u': beautification means making something more beautiful, and is unrelated to the religious term.
Practice
In the Catholic Church, beatification comes ___ canonization.
Choose one answer.
Beatification is the step that comes before canonization: a person is first declared Blessed (beatification) and may later be named a Saint (canonization). 'Instead of' wrongly suggests the two are alternatives rather than stages in one process.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “beatification”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.