hero-worship

verb

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he·ro-wor·ship | \ ˈhir-(ˌ)ō-ˌwər-ship

hero-worshipped also hero-worshiped; hero-worshipping also hero-worshiping; hero-worships

Definition of hero-worship

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

: to feel or express hero worship for

hero worship

noun

Definition of hero worship (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : veneration of a hero

2 : foolish or excessive adulation for an individual

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Examples of hero-worship in a Sentence

Noun He objects to the unthinking hero worship of great athletes by their fans. once the object of uncritical hero worship, the aging quarterback now faces the derision of his team's fickle fans

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun At some point over the years, the hero worship wore off. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Appreciation: Bestselling author Christopher Reich: How John le Carré changed my life," 20 Dec. 2020 Coleman’s first New York engagement, a gig at Manhattan’s Five Spot Café in 1959 that lasted 2 1/2 months, elicited both hero worship and harsh criticism. — Larry Blumenfeld, WSJ, "An Album to Liberate a Genre," 18 Dec. 2020 Still, this series manages not only to be exciting and unpredictable but to examine the perils of hero worship in a manner that's mind-blowing in more ways than one, and incidentally, absolutely not for the squeamish. — Brian Lowry, CNN, "'The Boys' dresses up one of TV's most daring shows in a superhero costume," 4 Sep. 2020 The Last Dance' and 'Hillary' circumvented any tendencies toward hero worship to capture hidden vulnerabilities of very public figures. — Carita Rizzo, The Hollywood Reporter, "Capturing Michelle Obama, Michael Jordan and Hillary Clinton: "I Had to Move Past My Own Intimidation"," 6 Aug. 2020 Led by a brusque vigilante with a special vendetta against cocky head honcho Homelander (Antony Starr), the ragtag team of CIA blackops seek to expose the truth about the Supes and end the hero worship once and for all. — Ineye Komonibo, refinery29.com, "We Finally Know What To Expect In Season 2 Of The Boys & It’s Gruesome," 8 July 2020 Others say a culture of hero worship and a fear of social repercussions have allowed misconduct to fly under the radar for years. — Cecilia D'anastasio, Wired, "The Super Smash Bros. Community Reckons With Sexual Misconduct Allegations," 10 July 2020 Yet the band do a good job of keeping any hero worship at bay, maintaining a healthy level of respect and cheerful irreverence. — Jordan Runtagh, PEOPLE.com, "Starr Man: Inside Ringo's 30-Year Odyssey with His All-Starr Band," 19 Aug. 2019 But the hero worship of health care workers only goes so far to protect them from mental anguish. — Jillian Mock, Scientific American, "Psychological Trauma Is the Next Crisis for Coronavirus Health Workers," 28 Apr. 2020

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