canonize
verb
can·on·ize
ˈka-nə-ˌnīz 
canonized
ˈka-nə-ˌnīzd
; canonizing
in "Hamlet" usually
kə-ˈnä-ˌnīzd
; canonizing
1
: to declare (a deceased person) an officially recognized saint
2
: to make canonical
3
: to sanction by ecclesiastical authority
4
: to attribute authoritative sanction or approval to
5
: to treat as illustrious, preeminent, or sacred
his mother had canonized all his timidities as common sense—
Scott Fitzgerald
Scott FitzgeraldSynonyms
Examples of canonize in a Sentence
She died 100 years ago and was canonized in Rome last year.
a singing star so canonized by his fans that they refuse to believe anything bad about him
Recent Examples on the Web
The party has elevated the Chinese ruler’s ideological contributions to the same level as those of Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping, the only other CCP leaders whose ideas have been so canonized.
—Minxin Pei, Foreign Affairs, 1 Nov. 2017
There is now credible evidence that the NSA has pushed NIST, in at least one case, to canonize an inferior algorithm designed with a backdoor for NSA use.
—Nadia Heninger, Foreign Affairs, 23 Oct. 2013
The Marto siblings, who died at 10 and 11, were canonized by Pope Francis in 2017.
—James Powel, USA TODAY, 8 Aug. 2024
Mother Cabrini was canonized in 1946 and is the patron saint of immigrants.
—Joanne M. Pierce, The Conversation, 30 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for canonize 
Minxin Pei, Foreign Affairs, 1 Nov. 2017
There is now credible evidence that the NSA has pushed NIST, in at least one case, to canonize an inferior algorithm designed with a backdoor for NSA use.
—Nadia Heninger, Foreign Affairs, 23 Oct. 2013
The Marto siblings, who died at 10 and 11, were canonized by Pope Francis in 2017.
—James Powel, USA TODAY, 8 Aug. 2024
Mother Cabrini was canonized in 1946 and is the patron saint of immigrants.
—Joanne M. Pierce, The Conversation, 30 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for canonize
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'canonize.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near canonize
Cite this Entry
“Canonize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/canonize. Accessed 18 Sep. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
canonize
verb
can·on·ize
ˈkan-ə-ˌnīz
canonized; canonizing
1
: to declare to be a saint and worthy of public respect
2
: to treat something as if it were sacred
canonization
noun
ˌkan-ə-nə-ˈzā-shən
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share