anoint

verb

ə-ˈnȯint 

anointed; anointing; anoints

transitive verb

1

: to smear or rub with oil or an oily substance

2

a

: to apply oil to as part of a religious ceremony

The priest anointed the sick.

b

: to choose by or as if by divine election

anoint him as his successor

also : to designate as if by a ritual anointment

Critics have anointed her as an important new literary figure.

anointer noun

anointment

ə-ˈnȯint-mənt 

noun

Synonyms

• bedaub
• besmear
• daub
• smear

Examples of anoint in a Sentence

The magazine anointed her the most popular actress of the year.

anoint the wound with antiseptic to prevent infection

Recent Examples on the Web

Each guest is anointed with Desiree’s handcrafted Blue Lotus oil, which is a sacred blend that deepens your connection to the energy and enhances the healing process. —Felicity Carter, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025

Maybe there’s a case to now bump him ahead of Jagr, anointing Ovechkin as the best winger and best non-Canadian of all time, even though the big Czech sits some 300 points ahead of him? —James Mirtle, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025

At that point, Hurley had settled in the Pacific Northwest, where he’d been anointed as a sort of king of nonconformist singer-songwriters to a younger generation. —Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 3 Apr. 2025

At the direction of God, the prophet Samuel anoints an unlikely outcast teenager as the new king. —Denise Petski, Deadline, 18 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French enoint, past participle of enoindre, from Latin inunguere, from in- + unguere to smear — more at ointment

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for anoint

• adjoint
• appoint
• checkpoint
• conjoint
• disjoint
• endpoint
• gunpoint
• midpoint
• nonpoint
• pinpoint
• standpoint
• viewpoint

Kids Definition

anoint

verb

ə-ˈnȯint 

1

: to rub over with oil or an oily substance

2

: to put oil on as part of a religious ceremony

anointer noun

anointment

-mənt 

noun