saint
- 01 B1 Intermediate
n.a person who is officially recognized by a church as being very holy after they die.
n.a deceased person officially recognized by a religious body, such as the Catholic Church, as having lived a life of eminent piety and virtue.
Simple“Saint Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland.”
In context“The process of canonization requires evidence of a life of heroic virtue before a person can be formally declared a saint.”
UsageOften used as a title before a name, usually abbreviated to 'St.' or 'Ste.'
Synonymsholy personblessed - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a person who is extremely kind, helpful, or patient with others.
n.a person of exceptional patience, charity, or selflessness; used figuratively in secular contexts.
Simple“My mother was a saint for putting up with all my noise when I was a child.”
In context“You must be a saint to work in such a high-pressure environment without ever losing your temper with the clients.”
Synonyms - 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a player or fan of a sports team called the Saints.
n.a member, coach, or supporter of a professional sports team whose nickname is the Saints.
Simple“The Saints won their home game last night with a last-minute goal.”
In context“As a lifelong Saint, he never missed a home game, regardless of the team's standing in the league.”
- 04 C2 Proficiency
v.to officially name someone as a saint.
v.to formally recognize or revere a person as a saint; to canonize.
Simple“The church decided to saint the monk for his life of service to the poor.”
In context“The council met to discuss whether the historical figure should be sainted, given the recent discovery of his charitable works.”
UsageThis verb is transitive and requires a direct object.
Synonymscanonizedeify
“Pretsell, you would think, has to have the patience of a saint to put up with this, but allows Gordon the time and space to get his point across.”
“They live by a shrine to a saint.”
From saint.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.