glorify

verb

glo·​ri·​fy ˈglȯr-ə-ˌfī How to pronounce glorify (audio)
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 noun
glorifier noun

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 on the Web In theory, the monument was meant to glorify a national hero, a martyr to imperialism. Michela Wrong, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2023 Critics say such wrestling is an exploitative and dangerous spectacle that fuels public harassment and glorifies a derogatory slur. Elvia Limón, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2023 There have been nearly 200 antisemitic acts, mostly verbal threats and vandalism, and over 100 people have been arrested for such acts or for glorifying terrorism, according to the interior minister, Gérald Darmanin. Aurelien Breeden, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2023 By posting footage of the assault on its Telegram page, Hamas magnified the psychological warfare against Israelis and glorified the killing rampage for its online audience of supporters. Steve Hendrix, Washington Post, 16 Oct. 2023 The late Shinzo Abe, for example, prayed at the imperialist Yasukuni Shrine, in Tokyo, where major war criminals are glorified and monuments set among elegant gardens honor such notorious wartime organizations as the Kempeitai, the rough Japanese equivalent of the Gestapo. Ian Buruma, The New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2023 The early aughts seemed like a cesspool of dating games, emotional and mental manipulation, and glorifying the battle of the sexes, rooted in misogyny. Dominique Fluker, Essence, 25 Sep. 2023 The singer is known for glorifying drug trafficking in his music. Chelsea Hylton, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2023 And its wars and gladiator fights have been depicted in popular films that tend to glorify themes of dominance and power. Alexa Mikhail, Fortune Well, 23 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'glorify.' 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 glorifien, from Anglo-French glorifier, from Late Latin glorificare, from gloria

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of glorify was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near glorify

Cite this Entry

“Glorify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glorify. Accessed 2 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

glorify

verb
glo·​ri·​fy ˈglōr-ə-ˌfī How to pronounce glorify (audio)
ˈglȯr-
glorified; glorifying
1
2
: to praise highly
3
: to present in a highly often overly favorable light
glorify war
glorification noun
glorifier noun

More from Merriam-Webster on glorify

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!