as in gods
a being having superhuman powers and control over a particular part of life or the world
to the ancient Greeks, Zeus was the deity who ruled over the sky and weather, and Poseidon was god of the sea
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of deities
Her book begins with a consideration of birth practices among women from the Minoan civilization—Bronze Age inhabitants of the island of Crete, whose deities included a goddess of childbirth.
—
Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
That soft reboot of the franchise picked up with Kratos, a Spartan warrior who killed Ares and became the new Greek god of war in previous entries, living in Scandinavia in the realm of the Norse deities.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Jan. 2026
Whether through deities, numbers, planets or the seasons, people were always trying to understand themselves and their purpose on the planet.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 25 Nov. 2025
And yet for many years still, some societies fell back on naming deities for the wind, keeping it as an entity under celestial control, or having unfathomable consequences — and not wishing to pry too deeply into what caused it, taking a pre-Enlightenment attitude to it, letting the mystery be.
—Big Think, 18 Nov. 2025
Beijing’s temples are one of the busiest places to be during the Lunar New Year, with crowds packing temples to pay their respects to Buddhist deities.
—Jasmine Ting, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Nov. 2025
Culturally, Shinto and Buddhist traditions emphasize respect for life and nature, which are deeply valued in Japan; in Nagano and Gifu prefectures, black bears are sometimes revered as mountain deities, researchers wrote in a paper this summer.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
Dean boasts a great lineage coming from the prestigious BRIT School that produced music deities like Adele and Amy Winehouse.
—Christopher Claxton, Billboard, 4 Nov. 2025
Notably, archaeologists unearthed a large piece of amber and a terracotta female head used in ceremonies dedicated to water and fertility deities, Archaeology Newsstated.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 2 Nov. 2025
Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
That soft reboot of the franchise picked up with Kratos, a Spartan warrior who killed Ares and became the new Greek god of war in previous entries, living in Scandinavia in the realm of the Norse deities.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Jan. 2026
Whether through deities, numbers, planets or the seasons, people were always trying to understand themselves and their purpose on the planet.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 25 Nov. 2025
And yet for many years still, some societies fell back on naming deities for the wind, keeping it as an entity under celestial control, or having unfathomable consequences — and not wishing to pry too deeply into what caused it, taking a pre-Enlightenment attitude to it, letting the mystery be.
—Big Think, 18 Nov. 2025
Beijing’s temples are one of the busiest places to be during the Lunar New Year, with crowds packing temples to pay their respects to Buddhist deities.
—Jasmine Ting, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Nov. 2025
Culturally, Shinto and Buddhist traditions emphasize respect for life and nature, which are deeply valued in Japan; in Nagano and Gifu prefectures, black bears are sometimes revered as mountain deities, researchers wrote in a paper this summer.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
Dean boasts a great lineage coming from the prestigious BRIT School that produced music deities like Adele and Amy Winehouse.
—Christopher Claxton, Billboard, 4 Nov. 2025
Notably, archaeologists unearthed a large piece of amber and a terracotta female head used in ceremonies dedicated to water and fertility deities, Archaeology Newsstated.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 2 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deities
gods
Noun
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The Marvel Cinematic Universe (2011 - present) With its sorcerers, gods, and talking raccoons, the MCU doesn't usually get too hung up on academic rigor.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
12 Jan. 2026
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Suddenly though, Artemis had to cut off this fling, because gods and goddesses were not supposed to have romances with mortals.—
Mike Lynch,
Twin Cities,
11 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deities.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deities. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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