saint·ly

(sānt′lē)

adj. saint·li·er, saint·li·est

Of, relating to, resembling, or befitting a saint.

saint′li·ness n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

saintly

(ˈseɪntlɪ)

adj, -lier or -liest

like, relating to, or suitable for a saint

ˈsaintlily adv

ˈsaintliness n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

saint•ly

(ˈseɪnt li)

adj. -li•er, -li•est.

like or befitting a saint; holy.

[1650–60]

saint′li•ness, n.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Adj.

saintly - marked by utter benignity; resembling or befitting an angel or saint; "angelic beneficence"; "a beatific smile"; "a saintly concern for his fellow men"; "my sainted mother"

angelic, sainted, saintlike, beatific, angelical

good - morally admirable

saintly

adjective virtuous, godly, holy, religious, sainted, blessed, worthy, righteous, devout, pious, angelic, blameless, god-fearing, beatific, sinless, saintlike, full of good works I assumed a look of saintly innocence.

Quotations
"Saintliness is also a temptation" [Jean Anouilh Beckett]

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

saintly

adjective

Deeply concerned with God and the beliefs and practice of religion:

devotional, devout, godly, holy, pietistic, pietistical, pious, prayerful, religious.

Translations

كالمَلاك، يُشْبِه القِدّيسين

posvátnýsvatý

fromhelgenagtig

heilig fromm

líkur dÿrlingi, háheilagur

da santo pio

helgenaktig

evliya gibi

圣洁的神圣的

saintly

[ˈseɪntlɪ] ADJ (saintlier (compar) (saintliest (superl))) (gen) → santo; (= pious) → pío (pej) → santurrón

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

saintly

[ˈseɪntli] adj

(relating to a saint) → saint(e)

(= very good) [person, manner, expression] → plein(e) de bontéSaint Patrick's Day n → la Saint-Patrick

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

saintly

adj (+er) image, figure, life → heilig; (fig pej) person → frömmlerisch; smile → lammfromm; he stood there with a saintly look on his face (lit) → er hatte einen verklärten Gesichtsausdruck; (iro) → er sah aus, als ob er kein Wässerchen trüben könnte

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

saintly

[ˈseɪntlɪ] adj (-ier (comp) (-iest (superl))) (expression, life) → da santo/a
a saintly person → una santa persona

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

saint

(seint) , ((before a name) snt) noun

1. (often abbreviated to St , especially when used in the names of places, plants etc) a title given especially by the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches to a very good or holy person after his death. Saint Matthew; St John's Road.

2. a very good, kind person. You really are a saint to put up with her.

ˈsaintly adjective

He led a saintly life; a saintly expression.

ˈsaintliness noun

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

Of this George Herbert was glad, for although he was a good and saintly man, he longed to be a courtier.

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Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter, In there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore; Not the least obeisance made he; not an instant stopped or stayed he; But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door -- Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door -- Perched, and sat, and nothing more.

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The thought of his wife, who had so greatly sinned against him, and towards whom he had been so saintly, as Countess Lidia Ivanovna had so justly told him, ought not to have troubled him; but he was not easy; he could not understand the book he was reading; he could not drive away harassing recollections of his relations with her, of the mistake which, as it now seemed, he had made in regard to her.

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"The life and adventures of our charming young clergyman, bear eloquent testimony to the saintly patience of his disposition, under trials which would have overwhelmed an ordinary man.

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'No, darling; but you are making more progress towards that saintly condition than I like; for all these two hours I have been thinking of you and wanting to catch your eye, and you were so absorbed in your devotions that you had not even a glance to spare for me - I declare it is enough to make one jealous of one's Maker - which is very wrong, you know; so don't excite such wicked passions again, for my soul's sake.'

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Yes, a dangerous matter -- so dangerous that even the most saintly dared only whisper their religious opinions with bated breath, lest something which fell from their lips might be misconstrued, and bring down a swift retribution upon them.

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Her air of saintly patience became so pronounced that with my own poor intuition I perceived that she was raging at me inwardly.

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She did not rebuke Jo with saintly speeches, only loved her better for her passionate affection, and clung more closely to the dear human love, from which our Father never means us to be weaned, but through which He draws us closer to Himself.

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Bazin wore his dress, it may be observed, with equal dignity and saintly propriety.

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"I was going to add," he said, "that for a pure and saintly woman you will not find one more to your true advantage, and certainly not more to your mother's mind and my own, than your friend Mercy, whom you used to show a certain interest in.

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I knew no more until six weeks afterward, when I had been nursed back to life by your own saintly wife in your own beautiful home.

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She was positively bewitching, and, withal, sweetly spirituelle, if not saintly. All my old-time marvel at life returned to me at sight of this splendid incarnation of it, and Wolf Larsen's cold explanation of life and its meaning was truly ridiculous and laughable.

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