DEIFY Synonyms: 106 Similar and Opposite Words

deify

verb

ˈdē-ə-ˌfī

Definition of deify

as in to adore

to love or admire too much materialistic people who deify money

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to venerate

to offer honor or respect to (someone) as a divine power some ancient pagans deified such objects of nature as trees and rivers

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to elevate

to assign a high status or value to the sense of entitlement felt by athletes who have been deified all their lives

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of deify As a consequence, people, still possessed by religious longings, tend to deify the country. — Ha Jin july 28, Literary Hub, 28 July 2025 Giuliani was pretty unpopular by the end of his second term and then 9/11 happened and he was deified. — Bradley Tusk, New York Daily News, 29 June 2025 While the titan from Krypton can often seem stoic and deified, Corenswet's Kal-El can be quite passionate about his views and express them loudly. — EW.com, 10 June 2025 His resume speaks for itself — no need for the on-air cast to go overboard in deifying him. — Richard Deitsch, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for deify

Recent Examples of Synonyms for deify

Verb

An outgoing kid from the suburbs of Buffalo, New York, who adored his little sister, Burch never regained consciousness.

— Brittany Shammas, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
No other branch takes such delight in going its own way, regularly giving a cold shoulder to titles the rest of the industry adores.

— Nate Jones, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of adore

Verb

Reed, venerated for his solo artistry and collaborations with the Velvet Underground, is a quintessential New York City artist of the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s.

— Julia Teti, Footwear News, 25 Sep. 2026
The kids who venerate McQueen as a fashion figurehead these days, after all, are likely to be found at the Cyberdog, just like McGirr once was.

— José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of venerate

Verb

That production is the wrinkle that elevates Seventhirty’s lyrics from modern dating podcast material to pure melodrama.

— Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 21 Oct. 2026
The guides elevate the safari experience by representing different places and people of Namibia, from the coastal cities of Swakopmund and Walvis Bay to the Himba in the far north-west and the Khwe Bushmen of the north-east.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of elevate

Verb

In Jennifer’s Body, Needy (Seyfried) is BFFs with the titular mean girl played by Fox, whose body becomes possessed by a succubus with a taste for teen boys after a botched sacrifice by a devil-worshipping boy band (led by Adam Brody).

— Glenn Garner, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026
While many Hindus worship Rama, Sita and Hanuman as deities, Hindu nationalists have also presented Rama as a historical figure – the legendary ruler of the ancient kingdom of Ayodhya.

— Sohini Sarah Pillai, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of worship

Verb

Chater doesn’t disagree, particularly as promoting the album has prompted more conversations about the subject.

— Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 21 Oct. 2026
Abe Flores, deputy director of Create CA, a nonprofit advocacy group that promotes arts education for California students, said the challenges SCUSD cited were not unique to the district.

— Chaewon Chung Updated October 21, Sacbee.com, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of promote

Verb

Terry Kay liked to tell the story of how he was coerced into writing his first novel by Pat Conroy, who told his literary agent Kay had written a brilliant manuscript.

— Suzanne Van Atten, AJC.com, 18 Oct. 2026
And yet, when CNN Sports asked to speak with people who bet on sports but don’t like prediction markets partnering with sports leagues, teams or athletes themselves, Allison was among the dozens of fans who reached out.

— Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of like

Verb

Her dense imagery, exalting family and the Black communities of her native Columbus, Ohio, made her one of America’s great storytellers in any medium.

— Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2026
Mercury is exalted in Virgo until September 10, so the first part of the month is a good time to get into the logistical weeds about it.

— Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of exalt

Browse Nearby Words

deifies

deify

deifying

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Deify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deify. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of deify

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

puissant

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 23

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes