Definition

1. Verb:
   • To purify from worldly or corrupting influences: To make something or someone more spiritual or less attached to material concerns.
   • To interpret or give a spiritual meaning to something: To read or understand a text, event, or object in a non-literal, spiritual sense.

Usage and Examples

• Verb (Transitive):
  • The retreat aimed to spiritualise the participants, helping them detach from material desires.
  • Some theologians spiritualise ancient texts, seeking deeper allegorical meanings beyond the historical narrative.

Advanced Usage

• "To spiritualise an experience": To consciously interpret or frame a mundane experience in a way that highlights its spiritual significance.
  • She learned to spiritualise her daily chores, viewing them as acts of mindfulness and service.

Variants and Related Words

• Spiritualize (verb): The primary spelling variant, especially in American English. It shares the same definitions as 'spiritualise'.
• Spiritualisation/Spiritualization (noun): The act or process of making something spiritual.
  • The spiritualisation of the ritual changed its focus from external form to internal devotion.

Synonyms

• Elevate: To raise to a higher moral or spiritual level.
• Transcendentalize: To regard or interpret in terms of a transcendent or spiritual reality.
• Allegorize: To interpret as an allegory, often giving a spiritual meaning.

Different Meanings and Contexts

• Religious/Philosophical Context: The most common usage, involving purification or non-literal interpretation.
  • The guru's teachings spiritualised the concept of wealth, framing it as energy to be used for good.
• Rare/Archaic Usage (to animate): To imbue with spirit or life. This meaning is now largely obsolete.
  • (Archaic) The poet sought to spiritualise the landscape in his verses.

Phrasal Verbs/Constructions

• To spiritualise away: To explain or dismiss the literal or material aspects of something by focusing exclusively on its spiritual interpretation.
  • He tends to spiritualise away the practical problems, which can be frustrating for those seeking concrete solutions.

Related Idioms

• To put a spiritual gloss on: Similar to 'spiritualise', meaning to provide a spiritual interpretation that may soften or reinterpret a harsh reality.
  • He tried to put a spiritual gloss on their failure, calling it a necessary lesson in humility.

Verb

1. purify from the corrupting influences of the world
   • During his stay at the ashram he was spiritualized
2. give a spiritual meaning to; read in a spiritual sense