apotheosis
noun
ˌa-pə-ˈthē-ə-səs
Sam TanenhausDavid Leavin
Did you know?
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 the Greek word 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
Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 11 May 2026
After portraying Alabaster, down to his pearly-white surname, as the apotheosis of white male villainy, Cash deflates him by arguing, essentially, #NotAllMen.
—Malavika Kannan, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2026
For this Welsh immigrant family rose from nothing to produce an American icon who mastered a distinctly American art form — the ultimate apotheosis of the American Dream — and who is, ironically, the most miserable of them all.
—Ben Croll, IndieWire, 13 Feb. 2026
But the apotheosis of the ceremony arrived early, and had little to do with individual personalities.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for apotheosis
Cite this Entry
“Apotheosis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apotheosis. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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