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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of saintly
Culkin’s chief rival Norton, who plays the banjo and sings as the saintly folk hero Pete Seeger, has not summoned a win yet.
—
Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 26 Feb. 2025
The relics of the monastery’s saintly founder were on view for public veneration.
—Therese Cory, The Conversation, 28 Jan. 2025
The saintly and spinsterish nurse Enid spends three sleepless days and nights soul-searching, deciding whether to report a murderer or to pursue a future with him.
—The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
In the show’s first two seasons, Laura’s murder broke open a placid American town—much as a severed ear, in Lynch’s 1986 film, Blue Velvet, famously undermined middle America’s saintly image of itself.
—K. Austin Collins, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for saintly
Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 26 Feb. 2025
The relics of the monastery’s saintly founder were on view for public veneration.
—Therese Cory, The Conversation, 28 Jan. 2025
The saintly and spinsterish nurse Enid spends three sleepless days and nights soul-searching, deciding whether to report a murderer or to pursue a future with him.
—The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
In the show’s first two seasons, Laura’s murder broke open a placid American town—much as a severed ear, in Lynch’s 1986 film, Blue Velvet, famously undermined middle America’s saintly image of itself.
—K. Austin Collins, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for saintly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for saintly
Adjective
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In 1796, the passage was reportedly the site of a miracle: an image of the Virgin Mary was allegedly seen moving her eyes, attracting pious Christians from around the city.—
Sarah Gearhart,
Outside Online,
28 July 2025
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Jill’s teenage son Brad (George Ferrier) is just as calculating, if not nearly as savvy, pressuring his pious girlfriend Abby (Madison Wolfe) for a repeat of their prom-night hookup while pursuing other partners.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
21 July 2025
Adjective
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Nikki Glaser, who has attended 22 Eras Tour concerts and been a devout Swiftie, introduced the singer's award.—
Bryan West,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
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The mixture of the spectacular Spidey elements will wow web-slinger fans from young children to seniors and the average MCU watcher to devout comic readers and collectors.—
Scott King,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2025
Adjective
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Denise Irene Roberts, 61, of Santa Clara is accused of burning a Nativity scene and other religious displays outside Christ Church North Bay in Novato on July 12.—
Cameron Macdonald,
Mercury News,
25 July 2025
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The Iranian diaspora is extraordinarily diverse, and political and generational outlooks often transcend religious lines.—
Dan Bilefsky,
HollywoodReporter,
25 July 2025
Adjective
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And the sainted Barack Obama Administration, which launched an extended bombing campaign in Libya, did not get congressional authorization.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
26 June 2025
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Benedict, the Pope emeritus, took a role in the ceremony; some half million devotees of the two sainted Popes filled the piazza and the streets adjoining the Vatican.—
Paul Elie,
New Yorker,
21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Hot sleepers need the holy trinity of queen-sized cooling pillows, a cooling duvet cover, and this cooling throw blanket with chilly Q-max technology.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
29 July 2025
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Morning briefings feature beautifully designed PDFs on sales techniques and boosting conversion rates—the holy grail of sales training.—
Julien Fortuit,
Forbes.com,
28 July 2025
Adjective
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His surviving works — just over 30 in all — form a kind of visual music or poetry: reverent, revelatory.—
Jerry Saltz,
Vulture,
2 July 2025
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Elena holds her headstrong, intellectually gifted friend Lila in reverent admiration, but the girls’ paths diverge when Lila, who cannot afford to continue her education, marries an abusive man, while Elena goes to university and becomes a writer.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Saintly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/saintly. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.
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