deified; deifying
1
a
: to make a god of
b
: to take as an object of worship
2
: to glorify as of supreme worth
Synonyms
Examples of deify in a Sentence
The people deified the emperor.
materialistic people who deify money
Recent Examples on the Web
By the end of the 18th century, he was properly deified.
—
Time, 16 Aug. 2023
Today, of course, the political wing once most likely to deify the FBI wants to defund it.
—Thomas Doherty, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 July 2023
Hercules, for example, after a life as a mortal strongman, was deified on his funeral pyre.
—Mary Beard, The New Yorker, 26 June 2023
The state party is split into two uncooperative factions, and the side with money and a winning record appears to have no interest in helping Diehl, whose rise has been fueled by conservatives who deify Trump and despise Republican Governor Charlie Baker.
—Emma Platoff, BostonGlobe.com, 1 Nov. 2022
Some even deify their leaders, or at least assert that they are divinely inspired.
—The Salt Lake Tribune, 9 Nov. 2022
Anyone with the will to correct this problem should not further deify those at the top, but strengthen and respect the less flamboyant levels of the system.
—Douglas Board, Fortune, 12 Nov. 2021
For those of us who deify Penélope Cruz, the new film is a case of déjà vu.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 24 Dec. 2021
Gandhi was suspicious of his followers’ attempts to deify him.
—Ian Beacock, The New Republic, 6 Dec. 2021
See More
Time, 16 Aug. 2023
Today, of course, the political wing once most likely to deify the FBI wants to defund it.
—Thomas Doherty, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 July 2023
Hercules, for example, after a life as a mortal strongman, was deified on his funeral pyre.
—Mary Beard, The New Yorker, 26 June 2023
The state party is split into two uncooperative factions, and the side with money and a winning record appears to have no interest in helping Diehl, whose rise has been fueled by conservatives who deify Trump and despise Republican Governor Charlie Baker.
—Emma Platoff, BostonGlobe.com, 1 Nov. 2022
Some even deify their leaders, or at least assert that they are divinely inspired.
—The Salt Lake Tribune, 9 Nov. 2022
Anyone with the will to correct this problem should not further deify those at the top, but strengthen and respect the less flamboyant levels of the system.
—Douglas Board, Fortune, 12 Nov. 2021
For those of us who deify Penélope Cruz, the new film is a case of déjà vu.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 24 Dec. 2021
Gandhi was suspicious of his followers’ attempts to deify him.
—Ian Beacock, The New Republic, 6 Dec. 2021
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'deify.' 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
Middle English, from Middle French deifier, from Late Latin deificare, from Latin deus god + -ficare -fy
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Time Traveler
The first known use of deify was
in the 14th century
Dictionary Entries Near deify
Cite this Entry
“Deify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deify. Accessed 25 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
deify
verb
de·i·fy
ˈdē-ə-ˌfī 
deified; deifying
1
a
: to make a god of
Roman emperors were often deified
b
: to take as an object of worship
Druids deified oak trees
2
: to glorify as of supreme worth
deify money
deification
noun
ˌdē-ə-fə-ˈkā-shən
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