Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Holiness of life or disposition; saintliness.
- noun The quality or condition of being considered sacred; inviolability.
- noun Something considered sacred.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun Holiness; saintliness; godliness.
- noun Sacred or hallowed character; hence, sacredness; solemnity; inviolability.
- noun A saint or holy being; a holy object of any kind.
- noun Synonyms Piety, Saintliness, etc. (see
religion ), purity, goodness. - noun Inviolability.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun The state or quality of being sacred or holy; holiness; saintliness; moral purity; godliness.
- noun Sacredness; solemnity; inviolability; religious binding force.
- noun rare A saint or holy being.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun uncountable
Holiness oflife ordisposition ;saintliness - noun uncountable The condition of being considered
sacred ;inviolability - noun countable Something considered sacred.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun the quality of being holy
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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Even if this were true, sanctity, as defined by the Oxford English Dictionary, is "the state or quality of being holy, sacred, or saintly," meaning that the word sanctity in itself refers to religion.
Camille Veselka: A Detrimental Influence: The Effect Religion Has on Laws Camille Veselka 2011
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They agree essentially on what they call the sanctity of life.
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In Michigan, the Catholic Church spent more $1 million to preserve what it calls the sanctity of marriage.
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Copps on the other hand, felt that it was political dynamite to breach what she calls the sanctity of medicare.
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Disabled with cerebral palsy, her daughter inspired a special commitment to protect what she calls the sanctity of life.
ScrippsNews - current events, culture, commentary, community 2008
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‘The witness of Newman’, writes Fr Jonathan Robinson, ‘like that of his patron St Philip Neri, the Founder of the Oratory, was based on personal holiness, a holiness that was rooted in the conviction that sanctity is only possible through the imitation of Christ, and in the acceptance of the suffering this inevitably brings.’
Interpreting Newman’s Beatification: Reactions from Key Figures 2009
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The women's piety and sanctity is stressed by the authors of the lives as they present their audience with the often miraculous and always worthy events and visions of the houses 'members.
Sensual Encounters: Monastic Women and Spirituality in Medieval Germany 2008
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Since Religion also aims for such affective responses, Art's opposition to the boundaries of sanctity is complexified by a recognition of mutual aims.
More on Cultural Appropriation Hal Duncan 2006
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Donato Dalrymple, one of the men who rescued Elián, takes on an expression of sanctity when crowds call out to himPescador!
Dream State Diane Roberts 2008
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But for the long-term sanctity of democracy, we have to put up with him until his second term ends.
sawasdee kha! 2006
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