BLESS Synonyms: 117 Similar and Opposite Words

bless

verb

ˈbles

Definition of bless

as in to consecrate

to make holy through prayers or ritual the priest blessed the water, thus allowing it to be used as holy water for various rites

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to celebrate

to proclaim the glory of bless the name of God

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to gift

to furnish freely or naturally with some power, quality, or attribute blessed with a knack for glib conversation

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of bless Big up to the D’Angelo family as well for blessing me with the opportunity to be able to have his first step out since his transition. — Preezy Brown, Rolling Stone, 19 Oct. 2026 Later, Keldermans and fellow clergy member Katherine Elsner anointed a congregant who was having surgery later that month and then gave her a prayer blanket blessed by the community. — Jonathan Bullington, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026 My wife gave us two wonderful children and my daughter just blessed us with a grandson! — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 18 Oct. 2026 Once it's made, Soddu holds a ceremony to bless and activate the piece according to the intention, then passes along guidance on how and when to wear it and use its affirmation. — Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 16 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bless

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bless

Verb

In Sugar Land, Texas, a 90-foot statue of the deity Hanuman, consecrated in 2024 at a temple complex, continues to draw disparaging comments, including one YouTube personality who recently urged its demolition.

— ABC News, ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026
The King’s wife, Queen Mette-Marit, is also expected to be consecrated during the ceremony.

— Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of consecrate

Verb

For the last five decades, the CZMA has been celebrated as a bipartisan co-management framework that gave coastal and Great Lakes states the power to review and object to federal projects that affect their shorelines.

— Rosanna Xia, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
In her new role, Danielle will help celebrate her aunt's life and accomplishments while offering a personal perspective on the woman behind the music, according to a press release announcing the appointment.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of celebrate

Verb

Mary tells them that Britani left her event with not one but THREE floral arrangements, which included the one that Mary gifted her, one right off the table, and the one that Britani herself brought as a gift.

— Tom Smyth, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026
The New York Public Library was gifted some 250 prints by Kiki Smith from her sister, the artist Seton Smith.

— Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of gift

Verb

Harry dedicates this to his wife Shelby (also a dancer and actress), who absolutely should be on DWTS next season, but Jenna also incorporates Harry’s parents and his daughter into the routine.

— Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026
The Duo’s inner screen is best used when dedicating the whole thing to a single app like Netflix.

— Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of dedicate

Verb

Supporters, including Catholic and Orthodox Jewish school advocates and Democrats for Education Reform, praised the move.

— Lara Murray-Sterzel, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
Global Reach, an advocacy group that works to free Americans detained abroad and currently represents five Americans held in Russia, praised the release but called for the other prisoners to come home as well.

— Dasha Litvinova, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of praise

Verb

Someone once said that the German psyche has a tendency to endow the inanimate with a soul, and in my home that thought was illustrated one hundred times over.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Oct. 2026
An essential state role, parallel to provisioning basic services like education and healthcare, is endowing a wide open aesthetic field of form and meaning and collective sensibility.

— Anna Kornbluh, ARTnews.com, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of endow

Verb

Guns became sacred, and violence was increasingly justified, if not sanctified.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 25 Aug. 2026
The church has always preached that humans are created in God’s image; by assuming the messy fragility of human form, God’s son sanctified human experience.

— Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of sanctify

Verb

Yet, these grounds were hallowed to the African American community.

— Chip Colwell, The Conversation, 22 Oct. 2025
In a new political environment in which none of the new leaders could claim to be revolutionary founding fathers, Deng’s blessing hallowed Jiang and Hu and helped ensure that each survived the vicissitudes of succession politics.

— Jonathan A. Czin, Foreign Affairs, 21 Oct. 2025

Definition of hallow

Browse Nearby Words

blend (with)

bless

blessed

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Bless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bless. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of bless

verb

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