canonize

1 to love or admire too much a singing star so canonized by his fans that they refuse to believe anything bad about him Synonyms adore, adulate, idolize, deify, dote (on), hero-worship, worshipRelated Words appreciate, cherish, esteem, prize, treasure, value; fancy, favor, like, prefer; regard; hallow, respect, revere, venerate; approve, endorse (also indorse), supportNear Antonyms abhor, abominate, despise, detest, disdain, dislike, hate, loathe; belittle, deprecate, disparage, misprize, put down

2 to assign a high status or value to those movie buffs who have canonized Alfred Hitchcock as filmdom's preeminent director Synonyms aggrandize, exalt, deify, dignify, elevate, ennoble, enshrine, ensky, enthrone, glorify, magnifyRelated Words boost, lift, promote, raise, upgrade, uplift; heighten, intensify; idealize, romanticize, sanitize, sugarcoat; acclaim, extol (also extoll), honor, laud, praiseNear Antonyms belittle, decry, depreciate, detract, disparage, minimizeAntonyms abase, degrade, demean, humble, humiliate