Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Of, relating to, resembling, or befitting a saint.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Like or characteristic of a saint; befitting a holy person; saintlike.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Like a saint; becoming a holy person.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective Like or characteristic of a
saint ; befitting aholy person;saintlike .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective marked by utter benignity; resembling or befitting an angel or saint
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word saintly.
Examples
-
After breakfast, having satisfied himself before the mirror that his dress was faultless, and his expression saintly, he went out and travelled by rail from Sloane Square to West Kensington, whence he walked to Laurel Grove.
The Irrational Knot Being the Second Novel of His Nonage George Bernard Shaw 1903
-
"Is that what you call saintly, spending all your time with Lady
The Path Of Duty Henry James 1879
-
When I was a baby and toddler, I learned to walk by hanging onto the head and ears of a very patient - one might say "saintly" - basset hound named Rebel.
-
The problem of demarcation also plagues the paradigm case of supererogatory behavior, the so-called saintly and heroic acts.
-
On July 29, 1894, God called my saintly and much-tried Father to
Story of a Soul (l'Histoire d'une Ame): The Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux 1873-1897 1912
-
On July 29, 1894, God called my saintly and much-tried Father to Himself.
The Story of a Soul Lisieux, St Therese of 1912
-
The resignation might almost be called saintly, were it not that it seems to spring rather from the natural melancholy and sadness of Shakespeare's disposition; “the world is a hard, all-hating world,” he seems to say, “and misery is the natural lot of man; defeat comes to all; why should I hope for any better fortune?”
The Man Shakespeare Harris, Frank, 1855-1931 1909
-
The resignation might almost be called saintly, were it not that it seems to spring rather from the natural melancholy and sadness of Shakespeare's disposition; "the world is a hard, all-hating world," he seems to say, "and misery is the natural lot of man; defeat comes to all; why should I hope for any better fortune?"
The Man Shakespeare Frank Harris 1893
-
It results in the kind of character that is known as saintly, and is generally accompanied by a strong deficiency in the matter of humour.
At Large Arthur Christopher Benson 1893
-
On July 29, 1894, God called my saintly and much-tried Father to
The Story of a Soul (L'Histoire d'une Âme): The Autobiography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux With Additional Writings and Sayings of St. Thérèse de Lisieux Th��r��se 1885
Comments
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.