1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

deifying 1 of 2

adjective

as in adoring
reflecting great admiration or devotion the deifying descriptions of military heroes that are often published in wartime

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

deifying

2 of 2

verb

present participle of deify
1
as in worshipping
to love or admire too much materialistic people who deify money

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in venerating
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
3
as in elevating
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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for deifying
  1. adoring
  2. worshipping
  3. venerating
  4. elevating
  5. idolizing
  6. revering
  7. promoting
  8. exalting
Adjective
  • Mom and daughter share adoring glances at an event to celebrate International Women's Day in London.
    — Kate Hogan, PEOPLE, 21 Apr. 2026
  • The Patriots’ pass coverage without Christian Gonzalez, their atrocious inside linebacker play and roller-coaster special teams, which give any adoring fan a heart attack at a moment’s notice.
    — Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 16 Sep. 2025
Definition of adoring
Verb
  • Shankara advises that worshipping gods with names and stories through devotional rituals and sacred images (murtis) is an acceptable step for some people on the path toward a more philosophical understanding of an all-pervasive ultimate reality.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Sakela is typically expressed through dance, music, group rituals and by worshipping nature.
    — PhotoVogue, Vogue, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of worshipping
Verb
  • Jellicle Ball joins that lineage, inviting its audience to experience the joys of the Black and Latino ball scene while venerating its bittersweet roots.
    — Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Apr. 2026
  • Exquisite dribblers such as Olise need protecting and venerating.
    — James Horncastle, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Definition of venerating
Verb
  • While mostly casual and pared-back, the classic jeans-and-T-shirt combo didn’t stop the actress from elevating her late-night look.
    — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Five-year board member Tim Blackburn, a historian for the society for about a year, said elevating knowledge about the archives is important.
    — Melinda Moore, Chicago Tribune, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of elevating
Verb
  • Reading the book feels refreshing — a clarifying antidote to a culture increasingly obsessed with idolizing and leveraging suffering.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Fothergill, who grew up in Minnesota idolizing Moss, said his partner held his own on the water, using forward-facing sonar to locate fish sitting 70 to 90 feet deep.
    — Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of idolizing
Verb
  • In time, generations of directors and studio execs who came up revering trailblazing path set by 1970s New Hollywood titans like Coppola would come to fundamentally see the sequel in a different light as a result.
    — Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Our history is complex but acknowledging its complexity shouldn't be considered inconsistent with loving our country and revering its founders.
    — New York Times, New York Times, 11 June 2026
Definition of revering
Verb
  • If dozens of countries are promoting electric vehicle incentives, charging infrastructure and electrification in general, that can help in the fight against climate change, Jackson added.
    — Jennifer McDermott, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026
  • This could look like investing in and promoting internal subject-matter experts, documenting best practices, creating subject-matter Centers of Excellence and embedding that expertise directly into workflows.
    — Srinivas Velamoor, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of promoting
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
  • This has been an awesome showcase of American community, with our own USMNT support and other countries’ diasporas springing up exalting watch parties all over the place.
    — Alex Kirshner, New York Times, 19 July 2026
Definition of exalting
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.

Browse Nearby Words

deify
deifying
deign
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Deifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deifying. Accessed 26 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

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

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 25
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All