Meaning & use
sanctifying
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“sanctifying” is a form of “sanctify”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitivereligionformal
Making a person, place, or thing holy or officially sacred, especially in a religious ceremony.
Grammar: The -ing form of 'sanctify'; it still takes an object: a bishop sanctifying a church, not 'sanctifying' alone.
Patterns
- sanctifying something
- sanctifying someone
The bishop is sanctifying the new chapel this Sunday.
Sanctifying the bread and wine is a central part of the service.
By sanctifying the ground, the community set it apart for worship.
verbtransitiveformalfigurative
Making something seem morally pure, good, or justified, often when it is not.
Grammar: Used of ideas or actions; the object is the thing being made to look good: sanctifying a selfish decision.
Patterns
- sanctifying something
- sanctifying an act
He kept sanctifying his greed by calling it ambition.
The film is accused of sanctifying violence as heroic.
No amount of fine words is sanctifying that policy.
Word forms
| third person singular | sanctifies |
|---|---|
| past tense | sanctified |
| past participle | sanctified |
| -ing form | sanctifying |
Common combinations
- sanctifying grace
- Many Christians speak of sanctifying grace that slowly changes the soul.
- sanctifying power
- Believers credit the ritual with a sanctifying power.
- sanctifying presence
- The shrine was said to hold a sanctifying presence.
- sanctifying influence
- Her quiet example had a sanctifying influence on the whole group.
Synonyms and how they differ
- blessing
- Used for asking God's favor on people or things; 'sanctifying' stresses actually making something holy, not just asking for it.
- consecrating
- Very close in religious use, but 'consecrating' often refers to a formal ceremony of dedication, while 'sanctifying' can also be a gradual process.
- purifying
- Focuses on removing what is unclean; 'sanctifying' focuses on setting apart as sacred.
Opposites
Word family
- sanctify verb
- To make holy or set apart as sacred.
- sanctification noun
- The act or process of being made holy.
- sanctity noun
- The quality of being holy or sacred.
- sanctified adjective
- Made holy or officially declared sacred.
Commonly confused: sanctifying or sacrificing? sanctifying or sanctimonious?
sanctifying vs sacrificing
Sounds similar, but means giving something up or offering it to a god, not making it holy.
sanctifying vs sanctimonious
An adjective meaning 'showing off how morally good you are'; it is critical, whereas 'sanctifying' is neutral or positive.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'sanctifying' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Sanctifying' is the -ing form of the verb 'sanctify' and needs an object, so 'sanctifying the new church' works. Option 2 needs an adjective such as 'sanctimonious', option 3 breaks the tense pattern ('They sanctified the whole plan yesterday'), and option 4 uses the verb where an adjective is required.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sanctifying”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.