sanctity

sanct·i·ty
S1A1N1C3T1I1T1Y4
US, UK/ˈsæŋktɪti/

noun

Holiness of life or disposition; saintliness

Less commonScrabble 13

Meanings

nounsanctity (countable and uncountable, plural sanctities)

plural sanctities

  1. uncountableThe condition of being considered sacred; inviolability
  2. countableSomething considered sacred.

    […] allowed the Israeli occupation over 75 years to commit the worst crimes ever against the Palestinian people, land and sanctities.

    2024 January 21, Our Narrative… Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, Hamas Media Office, archived from the original on 21 Jan 2024, page 16
    1 more example

    Or would they have it believed, that there is in their ſelves ſome ſuperior ſanctity, ſome peculiar privilege, by which theſe things are lawful to them, which are unlawful to all the world beſides?

    1776, Jeremy Bentham, “A Short Review of the Declaration”, in John Lind, An Anſwer to the Declaration of the American Congress, London: Thomas Cadell, page 121

Synonyms & antonyms

nounthe quality of being holy

Broader

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latinsānctitās
  2. Old Frenchsanctete
  3. Middle Englishsanctity
  4. Englishsanctity

From Middle English sanctity, from Old French sanctete, from Latin sānctitās.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian святост, светиня
  • святост (svjatost)condition
  • светиня (svetinja)something considered sacred
Greek ιερότητα
  • ιερότητα (ierótita)condition
Indonesian kesakralan
  • kesakralancondition
Latin sanctitās
  • sanctitāscondition
Māori rongomaiwhiti
  • rongomaiwhiticondition
Persian مقدس
  • مقدس (moqaddas)something considered sacred
Russian свя́тость, свяще́нность
  • свя́тость (svjátostʹ)condition
  • свяще́нность (svjaščénnostʹ)condition
  • святы́ня (svjatýnja)something considered sacred
Spanish santidad
  • santidadcondition
Ukrainian святиня
  • святиня (svjatynja)something considered sacred
Urdu تَقَدُّس
  • تَقَدُّس (taqaddus)something considered sacred

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

sanctity. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sanctity

MLA

“sanctity.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sanctity. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sanctity,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sanctity.

Source: sanctity on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.