idolatry

noun

idol·​a·​try ī-ˈdä-lə-trē 

plural idolatries

1

: the worship of a physical object as a god

2

: immoderate attachment or devotion to something

Synonyms of idolatry

• worship
• adoration
• worshipping

Examples of idolatry in a Sentence

fans of the team are well known for their idolatry of the quarterback

Recent Examples on the Web

Though often misremembered as a boy’s adventure book, Gulliver’s Travels is both summation and rejoinder to the Enlightenment and how innumerable sins can result when the idolatry of reason leads to humans being treated as objects. — Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2026

The market for racial idolatry in sports media has collapsed. — Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 14 Aug. 2026

The Assad regime cultivated idolatry and many had been happy to oblige it. — Lina Sergie Attar, Time, 6 Aug. 2026

But this facial gallery closed with the Western Roman Empire and the rise of Christianity, which inherited a suspicion of idolatry from the Old Testament and Judaism. — Cal Revely-Calder, New Yorker, 29 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ydolatrie, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin idolatria, alteration of Late Latin idololatria, from Greek eidōlolatreia, from eidōlon idol + -latreia -latry

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing idolatry

• self-idolatry

Kids Definition

idolatry

noun

idol·​a·​try ī-ˈdäl-ə-trē 

plural idolatries

1

: the worship of an idol as a god

2

: very great attachment or devotion to something