Word.ws English Dictionary

anointed

/əˈnɔɪn.tɪd/

anointed is the simple past and past participle of anoint.

Adjective

anointed (not comparable)

  1. Having undergone the process of anointing.
  2. (dated, slang) Utter; thorough; eminent.
    • I wonder if she has the faintest idea of what an anointed scoundrel he is?1898, George Lewis Becke, Roman the Boatsteerer and Other Stories

Meaning of anoint

Verb

anoint (third-person singular simple present anoints, present participle anointing, simple past and past participle anointed)

  1. (transitive) To smear or rub over with oil or an unctuous substance; also, to spread over, as oil.
    • He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, John 9:6
    Synonyms:
    salve, pomade, pomate, pomatum
  2. (transitive) To apply oil to or to pour oil upon, etc., as a sacred rite, especially for consecration.
    • Then shalt thou take the anointing oil, and pour it upon his [Aaron's] head and anoint him.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Exodus 29:7
    Synonyms:
    salve
  3. (figuratively, transitive) To choose or nominate somebody for a leading or otherwise important position, especially formally or officially, or as an intended successor.
    • Unlike other previous Prelates, who were swiftly anointed bishops, Francis did not follow suit. Ocáriz remained a Monsignor. In the eyes of many observers, it was a demotion of Opus Dei.2024 March 16, Antonia Cundy, “The Opus Dei diaries”, in FT Weekend, London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 18
  4. (historical, transitive) To mark somebody as an official ruler, especially a king or queen, as a part of a religious ceremony.

Noun

anointed (plural anointeds)

  1. A person who has been anointed, especially religiously.

Forms of anointed

pluralanointeds

Words formed from anointed

Questions about anointed

What does anointed mean?
Anointed means having undergone the process of anointing.
What is anointed the simple past and past participle of?
Anointed is the simple past and past participle of anoint.
What part of speech is anointed?
Anointed can be an adjective or a noun.
How do you pronounce anointed?
Anointed is pronounced /əˈnɔɪn.tɪd/.

Words near anointed in the dictionary

  1. anoiled
  2. anoiling
  3. anoils
  4. anoint
  5. anointable
  6. anointed
  7. anointeds
  8. anointedst
  9. anointee
  10. anointees
  11. anointer

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: anointed (page history and authors); anoint (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-anointed.wav.

Cite this entry: “anointed.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/anointed. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.