1
as in to adore
to love or admire too much
a singing star so canonized by his fans that they refuse to believe anything bad about him
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to elevate
to assign a high status or value to
those movie buffs who have canonized Alfred Hitchcock as filmdom's preeminent director
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of canonize
Saints are persons in heaven who were officially canonized or not who did one of the following, according to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops:
Lived heroically virtuous lives.
—
Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 1 May 2025
His successor, Benedict XVI, waived the waiting period, allowing John Paul to be canonized nine years after his death.
—Elisabetta Povoledo, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2025
Finding those miracles will be the next step if Gaudí is to beatified and then canonized.
—Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 15 Apr. 2025
He’s told not to wear a bald cap and makeup to better resemble the president, so that his likeness can instead be canonized with el-Sisi’s.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for canonize
Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 1 May 2025
His successor, Benedict XVI, waived the waiting period, allowing John Paul to be canonized nine years after his death.
—Elisabetta Povoledo, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2025
Finding those miracles will be the next step if Gaudí is to beatified and then canonized.
—Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 15 Apr. 2025
He’s told not to wear a bald cap and makeup to better resemble the president, so that his likeness can instead be canonized with el-Sisi’s.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for canonize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for canonize
Verb
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Referred to as Bubblegum Bobby and a fixture on the cover of teen magazines, lunch boxes, and other merch for adoring young fans, Sherman also continued to act during that period.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
24 June 2025
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His face was printed on lunch boxes, cereal boxes and posters that hung on the bedroom walls of his adoring fans.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
24 June 2025
Verb
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Suede handbags will elevate your outfits, while slim sandals go with everything and do the look just slightly better than everyone else.—
Meghan Rose,
Glamour,
1 July 2025
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Studio Azuki plans to fuse this international momentum with Japan’s anime culture to pioneer new production models, elevate storytelling quality, enable fan collaboration and introduce social-first formats.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
1 July 2025
Verb
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The soccer star in question, of course, was a certain Lionel Andrés Messi, for whom the masses had made their pilgrimage to worship, as his Inter Miami took on Portuguese giant FC Porto in the second matchday of Group A.—
Glen Levy,
CNN Money,
20 June 2025
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The group argued that allowing Oak Flat, a place where the Apache have worshiped for generations, to be destroyed would have significant religious freedom implications.—
Jack Birle,
The Washington Examiner,
27 May 2025
Verb
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Trump promoted tax cuts and border security among the provisions to support in the legislation.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
30 June 2025
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In addition to adding decorative flair to windows and doors, these multipurpose window treatments promote privacy and block light, with many designs offering temperature-regulating and sound-dampening qualities to boot.—
Shoko Wanger,
Architectural Digest,
30 June 2025
Verb
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The designs were situated over three floors, where guests were allowed to select a Levi’s item and customize it to [their] liking with graphics, rhinestones, and other embellishments.—
Essence,
Essence,
29 June 2025
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Do the accolades, likes, and shares compensate for the misallocation of our attention?—
Tim Maurer,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2025
Verb
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The day, dubbed Juneteenth, reflects on a moment when the promise of freedom first enshrined in the Declaration of Independence became a reality for more of its citizens.—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA Today,
20 June 2025
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Heading westward since the 2014 Maidan Revolution and Russia’s subsequent invasion of Crimea and the Donbas, Ukrainians enshrined their NATO aspiration in their constitution in 2019.—
Charles Kupchan,
Foreign Affairs,
20 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Canonize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/canonize. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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