hagiography

noun

ha·gi·og·ra·phy ˌha-gē-ˈä-grə-fē

ˌhā-,

-jē-

Synonyms of hagiography next

: biography of saints or venerated persons

: idealizing or idolizing biography

an account that smacks of hagiography

Did you know?

Like biography and autograph, the word hagiography has to do with the written word. The combining form -graphy comes from Greek graphein, meaning "to write." Hagio- comes from a Greek word that means "saintly" or "holy." This origin is seen in Hagiographa, the Greek designation of the Ketuvim, the third part of the Jewish Scriptures. English's hagiography, though it can refer to biography of actual saints, is these days more often applied to biography that treats ordinary human subjects as if they were saints.

Examples of hagiography in a Sentence

a hagiography about a famous politician The book gives a good idea of his virtues without resorting to hagiography.

Recent Examples on the Web In the world of celebrity documentaries, hagiographies reign supreme. —

Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 June 2024 The Lego Group is following The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part with a cutesy, skin-crawling piece of hagiography. —

Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 14 June 2024 They’re shown as gods with occasional flaws, the standard approach of hagiography. —

Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 14 Feb. 2024 The five others were video productions, containing footage of mujahideen training and operating in the field in Afghanistan, North Africa, and Iraq; detailed hagiographies of recent martyrs; interviews with rank-and-file jihadis; and excerpts from statements by several al Qaeda leaders. —

Brynjar Lia, Foreign Affairs, 11 May 2011 See all Example Sentences for hagiography

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