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Across time and across cultures—as evidenced from Chauvet-Pont d’Arc’s paintings to The Lion King—lions have captured people’s imaginations. Though the big cats themselves are fascinatingly complex, it’s perhaps no surprise that humans have long projected qualities of bravery and regality upon the proverbial “king of the beasts.” It is precisely those and similar admirable qualities that led, in the 18th century, to lion being used for a person who is similarly well-regarded, especially after a long and distinguished career in a particular field, as in “lion of the Senate,” or “literary lion.” This sense of lion imbues the verb lionize, which first appeared in English in the early 19th century to apply to acts of treating someone as, perhaps, deserving of roaring applause.
Examples of lionize in a Sentence
John Cassidy, New Yorker, 15 June 2026
Popular culture really likes to lionize chosen families.
—Natasha O'Neill, Vanity Fair, 9 June 2026
Americans, in their patriotic bubble, lionize the Super Bowl.
—Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 8 June 2026
Nursing has long been lionized as one of the most stable and safe professions for young graduates to pursue.
—Tristan Bove, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for lionize
Cite this Entry
“Lionize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lionize. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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