as in biography
disapproving
a book about someone's life that makes it seem better than it really is or was
a hagiography of the leader written by one of his closest confidants
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Recent Examples of hagiography
The movie burns through genre cliches both well-known and niche, taking a sledgehammer to the very idea of celebrity hagiography.
—
Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 13 Sep. 2025
But rarely does the film rise above hagiography.
—Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
But the documentary, which previously screened at the Tribeca Film Festival last month, is not hagiography.
—David Chiu, Forbes.com, 18 July 2025
However, the book leans at times toward hagiography, focusing solely on Valland’s commitment to beautiful objects without fully developing her as a human being.
—Nina Siegal, New York Times, 17 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for hagiography
Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 13 Sep. 2025
But rarely does the film rise above hagiography.
—Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
But the documentary, which previously screened at the Tribeca Film Festival last month, is not hagiography.
—David Chiu, Forbes.com, 18 July 2025
However, the book leans at times toward hagiography, focusing solely on Valland’s commitment to beautiful objects without fully developing her as a human being.
—Nina Siegal, New York Times, 17 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for hagiography
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hagiography
Noun
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As InStyle previously reported, Penny Junor’s biography The Duchess describes scenes of discomfort and all-but-smooth sailing.—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
12 Jan. 2026
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There have been countless reissues, new biographies (including my own), and documentaries about him.—
Alexander Larman,
Time,
10 Jan. 2026
Noun
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About five years later, that classmate, the writer Shane Hinton, who would become a dear and lifelong friend, sent me an email to tell me that Lidia’s essay had been published as a memoir, also titled The Chronology of Water.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Jan. 2026
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The Duke of Sussex, now 41, recalled his desire to get a tattoo in his memoir, Spare, on his infamous trip to Sin City — however, he was stopped by his friends.—
Stephanie Petit,
PEOPLE,
16 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hagiography.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hagiography. Accessed 21 Jan. 2026.
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