apotheosis

noun

plural apotheoses ə-ˌpä-thē-ˈō-ˌsēz How to pronounce apotheosis (audio)
ˌa-pə-ˈthē-ə-ˌsēz
1
a
: the perfect form or example of something : quintessence
the apotheosis of Hollywood glamour
… Nelson Rockefeller, the other top contender and the apotheosis of liberal Republicanism.Sam Tanenhaus
b
: the highest or best part of something : peak
The city reaches its apotheosis at the holiday …David Leavin
2
: elevation to divine status : deification
the apotheosis of Roman emperors
apotheosize
ˌa-pə-ˈthē-ə-ˌsīz How to pronounce apotheosis (audio)
ə-ˈpä-thē-ə-
transitive verb

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Among the ancient Greeks, it was sometimes thought fitting to grant someone "god" status. Hence the word apothéōsis, from the verb apotheóō or apotheoûn, meaning "to deify." (All are rooted in Greek theós, meaning "god," which we can also thank for such religion-related terms as theology and atheism.). There's not a lot of literal apotheosizing to be had in modern English, but apotheosis is thriving in the 21st century. It can refer to the highest or best part of something, as in "the celebration reaches its apotheosis in an elaborate feast," or to a perfect example or ultimate form, as in "a movie that is the apotheosis of the sci-fi genre."

Examples of apotheosis in a Sentence

the apotheosis of the picaresque novel
Recent Examples on the Web In that sense, the Passwords app is the apotheosis of everything Apple has been doing over the last decade to make passwords less of a pain for normal people who just don't want to think about them. Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 18 Sep. 2024 The rotation did get to ridiculous proportions last week with the apotheosis of PepsiCo and Bristol-Myers Squibb , which defied the market’s declines and rose 1.8% and 5.4%, respectively. Jim Cramer, CNBC, 21 July 2024 Even Beverly Hills, 90210—which popularized, and arguably remains the apotheosis of, the genre—was bound by the formulaic demands of network television. Lynn Steger Strong, The Atlantic, 22 July 2024 Thus, in a strange way, Macklemore’s track represents a kind of postmodern apotheosis of the protest song as a musical form — at least until someone manages to earn plaudits for merely announcing the intention to write a protest song. David Polansky, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 12 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for apotheosis 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'apotheosis.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Late Latin apotheōsis "transformation into a god, deification," borrowed from Greek apothéōsis, from apotheō-, variant stem of apotheóō, apotheoûn "to transform into a god, deify" (from apo- apo- + theoûn "to make a god of," verbal derivative of theós "god") + -sis -sis — more at theo-

First Known Use

circa 1580, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of apotheosis was circa 1580

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Cite this Entry

“Apotheosis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apotheosis. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024.

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