ANOINTING Synonyms: 80 Similar and Opposite Words

anointing 1 of 2

noun

as in anointment

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anointing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of anoint

as in smearing

to rub an oily or sticky substance over anoint the wound with antiseptic to prevent infection

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of anointing

Noun

Film buffs see this process as akin to an anointing; the trademark C, tucked into the upper-left corner of a plastic clamshell, signals a movie’s importance. — Sophia Nguyen, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026 Daemon charged his queen with making a show of strength for all the realm to see, and her response is to once again visit the High Septon and beg for an anointing. — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026 Then came ChatGPT, a false recession alarm, a peak in inflation, the anointing of the Mag 7 and, eventually, last week’s three fresh all-time highs. — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 10 Aug. 2026 When James was in his third NBA season, as Clark is now, the commercial anointing had already happened, even though championships and MVPs were still years away. — Dan Zaksheske Outkick, FOXNews.com, 15 July 2026 The Sunshine State Letdown is one more phase in the choreographed anointing of Donalds as the Republican nominee for governor. — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 26 June 2026 By all accounts, virality is violent for its subjects, and building a sustainable career from sudden celebrity is a formidable task; any sensible person would be wise to distrust such an instantaneous anointing. — Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026 Chalamet represents a less comfortable path for the industry — an anointing of the popular kid, an endorsement of a set of campaign standards that doesn’t exactly align with its own. — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 4 Mar. 2026 The anointing of Dokoupil in mid-December may have surprised some viewers. — Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune, 3 Feb. 2026

Verb

By anointing Watson as their franchise savior, the Haslams disregarded all those women. — Candace Buckner, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026 All the police will find is a crowd sitting in silent vigil and a bottle of olive oil for anointing the ill. — Audrey Dutton, ProPublica, 25 Aug. 2026 The third floor contains meeting rooms where Smith and other leaders inaugurated a rite that involved foot-washing and anointing by oil, and where Smith reported a divine revelation of new teachings. — ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026 That’s similar to the story of Odysseus’ anointing by an old woman in Odyssey 19, MacDonald says. — John Blake, CNN Money, 2 Aug. 2026 There’s no audience score yet on Rotten Tomatoes, but there’s been positive word of mouth from the media who’ve watched the epic, who are already anointing it with awards-season buzz. — Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 14 July 2026 The brochures were distributed at the annual Extel awards, a survey of fund managers anointing the analysts deemed best in their field, announced at a lunch at the Guildhall. — Ian King, CNBC, 17 June 2026 Otherwise, the evening was more about anointing talent that was arguably overdue for awards recognition. — David Sims, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2026 At least one competitor is already anointing Stolz, a seven-time world champ who’s just 21— and only halfway through the Olympic program in Milan—the best ever. — Sean Gregory, Time, 14 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for anointing

Noun

The result of this dynamic tension of bootlickers, according to Bernhard’s narrator, is the perpetual elevation and official anointment of mediocrity.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 19 Feb. 2026
According to the Dera, Singh’s ascent to power is a story of divine anointment.

— Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 6 Feb. 2026

Definition of anointment

Verb

At the entrance of Kollparay, Quispe pauses, taking my hands and smearing them with soil—the soil of her village.

— Paola Miglio, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 June 2026
This will lead to smearing dust particles around instead of picking them up, which is where a wet cloth comes into play.

— Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 5 June 2026

Definition of smearing

Noun

The July 2 decree said the two bishops leading the unauthorized ordination, held in Switzerland on July 1, had been excommunicated, along with the four priests who had become new bishops, which was widely expected.

— Joshua McElwee, USA Today, 2 July 2026
Cardinal Blaise Cupich presided over the ordination.

— CBS Chicago Team, CBS News, 20 June 2026

Definition of ordination

Verb

By the late 1960s, Kusama had also turned herself into material, staging happenings, body-painting events, naked demonstrations, and antiwar actions.

— Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2026
To begin with, the seventeenth-century French academic opposition of painting to sculpture assigns painting to sight and sculpture to touch—to sensation achieved through physical contact.

— Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of painting

Noun

In April, Flock Safety opened a 97,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Smyrna that is intended to create more than 200 jobs over the next three years as part of a $10 million investment.

— Irene Wright, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2026
Analysts also underscored that all cylinders of the Indian economy were firing, with high-frequency indicators showing that consumption and investment in the country were holding up.

— Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of investment

Verb

Most record-breaking perovskite cells in labs rely on spin-coating or wet-chemical solution processing, which doesn’t scale well to large, textured industrial silicon wafers.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 26 Aug. 2026
Bring to room temperature before portioning and coating in cinnamon-sugar.

— Rick Martinez, Bon Appetit Magazine, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of coating

Noun

For his army of fans, Federer’s induction has been a long time coming.

— Don Riddell, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026
For around three years, McGuire designed outfits for some of Parton’s most memorable moments, including the 10-Year Anniversary of Dollywood and her 1999 induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

— Michelle Lee, PEOPLE, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of induction

Noun

Or, more specifically, in its central courtyard, admiring a soaring installation of a gridded wooden sculpture.

— Liam Hess, Vogue, 3 Sep. 2026
The Bengals made no secret of its installation and their re-dedication to using the under-center and play-action chapter of the playbook this offseason and in training camp.

— Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of installation

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“Anointing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anointing. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of anointing

noun

verb

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