anoint

verb

ə-ˈnȯint 

anointed; anointing; anoints

transitive verb

1

: to smear or rub with oil or an oily substance

2

a

: to apply oil to as part of a religious ceremony

The priest anointed the sick.

b

: to choose by or as if by divine election

anoint him as his successor

also : to designate as if by a ritual anointment

Critics have anointed her as an important new literary figure.

anointer noun

anointment

ə-ˈnȯint-mənt 

noun

Synonyms

• bedaub
• besmear
• daub
• smear

Examples of anoint in a Sentence

The magazine anointed her the most popular actress of the year.

anoint the wound with antiseptic to prevent infection

Recent Examples on the Web

In the 1990s timeline, the girls may have anointed Natalie as Antler Queen, but with the amount of jealousy and moving parts, the crown will likely change heads. —Skyler Trepel, People.com, 14 Feb. 2025

But what has a king, God’s anointed on earth, to do with the messy business of living? —Sara Holdren, Vulture, 12 Feb. 2025

First, the Padres’ catchers: 2024 recap The year began with the Padres anointing Luis Campusano, the first catcher selected by anyone in the 2017 draft, the starter. —Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Feb. 2025

This year’s Super Bowl — to be held Feb. 9 on Fox — will anoint artificial intelligence companies and products as the new mainstream (yes, that is despite this week’s Wall Street meltdown after a Chinese AI app, DeepSeek, shook the foundations of Silicon Valley). —Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French enoint, past participle of enoindre, from Latin inunguere, from in- + unguere to smear — more at ointment

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

anoint

verb

ə-ˈnȯint 

1

: to rub over with oil or an oily substance

2

: to put oil on as part of a religious ceremony

anointer noun

anointment

-mənt 

noun