glorify

play

verb glo·ri·fy \ ˈglȯr-ə-ˌfī \

Definition of glorify

glorified; glorifying

transitive verb

1 a :to make glorious by bestowing honor, praise, or admiration

b :to elevate to celestial glory

2 :to light up brilliantly

Chandeliers glorified the entire room.

3 a :to represent as glorious :extol

a song glorifying romantic love

b :to cause to be or seem to be better than the actual condition

the new position is just a glorified version of the old stockroom job

4 :to give glory to (as in worship)

—

glorification

play \ˌglȯr-ə-fə-ˈkā-shən\ noun

—

glorifier

play \ˈglȯr-ə-ˌfī(-ə)r\ noun

See glorify defined for English-language learners

See glorify defined for kids

Examples of glorify in a Sentence

Glorify and give thanks to God.
a number of big names were recruited in the hopes that their presence would glorify the university's school of medicine in the eyes of the medical world

Recent Examples of glorify from the Web

Ex-Chicago courier Travis Hugh Culley glorified this selfish style of riding in his 2001 memoir The Immortal Class: Bike Messengers and the Cult of Human Power.

— john greenfield, Chicago Reader, "Chicago cyclists vent about their cycling pet peeves," 1 Aug. 2017
Now, those same audience members are being shown a photo that glorifies Jessica and Justin's unhealthy relationship.

— de elizabeth, Teen Vogue, "Fans React After '13 Reasons Why' Shares a Photo of Jessica and Justin," 20 July 2017
Dottie wasn’t someone to throw a team under the bus for the sake of appeasing a glorified on-field temper tantrum.

— anne t. donahue, Cosmopolitan, "No, Dottie Did Not Drop the Ball on Purpose in A League of Their Own," 30 June 2017
Most icebox pies are little more than glorified whipped cream.

— andy staples, SI.com, "Where to eat, drink in Shreveport, Louisana," 30 June 2017
Similarly, imperial Japan cherished its victories over China and Russia; Germany glorified its triumph over France; and almost every great power had a string of splendid little colonial wars to its name.

— yuval noah harari, Time, "Why It’s No Longer Possible for Any Country to Win a War," 23 June 2017
Israel blames the violence on incitement by Palestinian political and religious leaders compounded on social media sites that glorify violence and encourage attacks.

— mohammed daraghmeh, The Seattle Times, "Palestinians dispute IS claim for deadly attack on Israel," 17 June 2017
None of that stopped some conservatives from concluding that Hodgkinson was aiming to injure Republicans specifically, and that he was driven by a liberal culture that glorifies violence against GOPers.

— chris cillizza, CNN, "The Steve Scalise shooting has already become a political football," 14 June 2017
Television tends to distill complex issues into simpler forms, while the use of violence as an approach to solving problems is glorified.

— james shanahan, Scientific American, "Does TV Cultivate Authoritarianism?," 10 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'glorify.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of glorify

Middle English glorifien, from Anglo-French glorifier, from Late Latin glorificare, from gloria

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

glorify Synonyms

Synonyms

aggrandize, canonize, deify, dignify, elevate, ennoble, enshrine, ensky, enthrone, exalt, magnify

Antonyms

abase, degrade, demean, humble, humiliate

Related Words

boost, lift, promote, raise, upgrade, uplift; heighten, intensify; idealize, romanticize, sanitize, sugarcoat; acclaim, extol (also extoll), honor, laud, praise

Near Antonyms

belittle, decry, depreciate, detract, disparage, minimize

GLORIFY Defined for English Language Learners

glorify

play

verb

Definition of glorify for English Language Learners

: to honor or praise (a god or goddess)
: to make (something) seem much better or more important than it really is

GLORIFY Defined for Kids

glorify

play

verb glo·ri·fy \ ˈglȯr-ə-ˌfī \

Definition of glorify for Students

glorified; glorifying

1 :to honor or praise as divine

glorify God

2 :to give honor and praise to

glorify a hero

3 :to show in a way that looks good

glorify war

Learn More about glorify

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for glorify Spanish Central: Translation of glorify Nglish: Translation of glorify for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of glorify for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up glorify? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

glorify

Definition of glorify

glorification

glorifier

Explore Merriam-Webster

Examples of glorify in a Sentence

Recent Examples of glorify from the Web

Origin and Etymology of glorify

glorify Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

GLORIFY Defined for English Language Learners

glorify

Definition of glorify for English Language Learners

GLORIFY Defined for Kids

glorify

Definition of glorify for Students

Learn More about glorify

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

Trending: Kim Jong Un: Trump a 'Dotard'

Let's Talk 'Tea'

These Are Fighting Words

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

Words of the Year: 1066