as in pious
showing a devotion to God and to a life of virtue
a saintly man who devoted his life to caring for the dying
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Recent Examples of saintly
With saintly patience, my P.T. informed me that my shin bone was in great shape.
—
Amy X. Wang, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2025
Her devoted readers seemed to blithely accept that her stories, with their grisly leitmotifs, were the product of a saintly lady who was making it all up, out of empathy.
—Rachel Aviv, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
In this Danish Oscar-winner, Babette, a chef, flees violence in France and comes to work for two saintly sisters leading a flock of believers in 19th century Denmark.
—Eliana Dockterman, TIME, 21 Dec. 2024
The priest at the church, which had been sanctified by the recent arrival of some saintly relics from Rome, tried talking to the demon living in the girl’s body.
—Matthew Gabriele, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for saintly
Amy X. Wang, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2025
Her devoted readers seemed to blithely accept that her stories, with their grisly leitmotifs, were the product of a saintly lady who was making it all up, out of empathy.
—Rachel Aviv, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
In this Danish Oscar-winner, Babette, a chef, flees violence in France and comes to work for two saintly sisters leading a flock of believers in 19th century Denmark.
—Eliana Dockterman, TIME, 21 Dec. 2024
The priest at the church, which had been sanctified by the recent arrival of some saintly relics from Rome, tried talking to the demon living in the girl’s body.
—Matthew Gabriele, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for saintly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for saintly
Adjective
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The grieving sisters try to uncover the truth about what happened to Grace, and increasingly suspect Roger’s pious, overbearing sister Angelica (Fiona Shaw) of wrongdoing — but turn out to be (mostly) wrong about her intentions.—
Meredith Blake,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Dec. 2024
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Advertisement Nazanin goes through the same preparations as Salme, who has turned supremely pious in the intervening years, and Zari, who has grown more level-headed, not to say jaded.—
Charles McNulty,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Many devout Muslim women cover their faces with a niqab or burqa.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
21 Mar. 2025
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The followers of the Olsens are some of the most devout people in the world.—
Aamina Inayat Khan,
StyleCaster,
20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Women belonging to ethnic and religious minorities experienced distinct harms that were compounded by pre-existing discrimination and violence against them - as women and as minorities.—
Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab,
Forbes,
16 Mar. 2025
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And in the middle is a holiday associated with merry drinking and a centuries-old religious figure: St. Patrick's Day.—
Kinsey Crowley,
USA TODAY,
16 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The shorts, led by some wayward sell-side analysts, didn’t realize that Noto is turning this into one of the sainted fintechs out there, like a Block (formerly Square) or a PayPal or an Affirm .—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
18 Feb. 2025
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The newest member of the new-look Red Sox is an aggressive, fireplug of a player, which is why Cora keeps comparing him to the sainted Dustin Pedroia.—
Steve Buckley,
The Athletic,
15 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The attack during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan could signal the full resumption of a war that has already killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and caused widespread destruction across Gaza.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
19 Mar. 2025
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When the threat of Christianizing forces grows more imminent, a holy sacrifice is made that changes Deirdre’s life forever.—
Addie Morfoot,
Variety,
19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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And last fall, Hurley played a set to a hushed, reverent audience at the annual Brooklyn Folk Festival.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
18 Mar. 2025
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Sometimes, the most loving creations are the least reverent.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
11 July 2024
Cite this Entry
“Saintly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/saintly. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
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