1
as in to adore
to love or admire too much
people who hero-worship celebrities are setting themselves up for disappointment
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to overpraise
to praise too much
a golfing pro who is hero-worshipped by hordes of weekend duffers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in worship
excessive admiration of or devotion to a person
once the object of uncritical hero worship, the aging quarterback now faces the derision of his team's fickle fans
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hero-worship
Thomas Smith, Billboard, 6 May 2025
There’s a kitschy, romantic, hero-worshipping nostalgia to the image, as if Norman Rockwell had undergone a lobotomy.
—Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2025
Robert Daugherty, Forbes.com, 3 July 2025
The young girl's feelings of being left out and ostracized by her peers likely led her to the group—which experts say is a dangerous mix of hero worship and unhealthy messaging about how to cope with bullying.
—Sarah Scott, Parents, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hero-worship
Verb
In an accompanying statement, Yungblud said that the record explores the theme of hero-worship.
—Thomas Smith, Billboard, 6 May 2025
There’s a kitschy, romantic, hero-worshipping nostalgia to the image, as if Norman Rockwell had undergone a lobotomy.
—Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2025
Noun
Despite having access to OpenAI's co-founder and CEO, Hagey delivers a balanced portrait that avoids hero worship while revealing the strategic thinking behind ChatGPT's development.
—Robert Daugherty, Forbes.com, 3 July 2025
The young girl's feelings of being left out and ostracized by her peers likely led her to the group—which experts say is a dangerous mix of hero worship and unhealthy messaging about how to cope with bullying.
—Sarah Scott, Parents, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hero-worship
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hero-worship
Verb
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The depth of humanity Kosztolányi brings to the sorrowful life of Skylark and her adoring parents is magical, and rewards anyone who overcomes its modest premise.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
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Any mother adores getting phone calls from her children.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The result is sometimes overpraising, overprotection, and overindulging children, mixing emotional intensity with economic privilege in ways that breed entitlement.—
Christine Michel Carter,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
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Know-nothings pretend that Schrader’s Bressonian mannerisms reveal the spiritual depths of contemporary crisis, when, in fact, Master Gardener repeats the same social-collapse paranoia that made secular reviewers overpraise the religious, racial, suicide-bomber topics of First Reformed.—
Armond White,
National Review,
24 May 2023
Noun
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Markowicz told BridgeDetroit that the organization has started engaging with the community partners, cultural institutions, small businesses and places of worship that regularly participate in the festival.—
Micah Walker,
Freep.com,
15 Oct. 2025
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Trent Stewart was the pastor at The Log Church in Waverly, where Sunday school and worship were canceled this weekend and replaced with a time of prayer in the sanctuary, the church's associate pastor, Charlie Musick, posted on social media.—
Greg Norman,
FOXNews.com,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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With the sugar adaptations, many people like to utilize these in stews, breads, roasted, or raw.—
Anthony Reardon,
Kansas City Star,
18 Oct. 2025
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Some people like to keep their landscape and gardens clean and free of yard debris.—
Chris McKeown,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The bills were also praised by animal rights organizations; the governor also signed a bill this week to ban the declawing of cats in the state.—
Caelyn Pender,
Mercury News,
13 Oct. 2025
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While praising Keaton as a performer, Meyers, who wrote Baby Boom and the Father of the Bride films and wrote and directed Something’s Gotta Give, looked back on their close working relationship.—
Hilary Lewis,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Li described herself as having a lifelong suspicion of all forms of emotional melodrama, stemming from her experience as a child in China listening to propagandist operas, in which singers made extravagant claims of adoration and allegiance.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Oct. 2025
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From his many, many jobs to his love and adoration of his mother, Kirk was one of a kind.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But in tech, where founders are idolized yet structurally undercapitalized as individuals, the idea is both obvious and overdue.—
Connie Etemadi,
USA Today,
15 Oct. 2025
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But Hunter, who grew up idolizing Travis Konecny, Lawson Crouse and Bo Horvat, had other plans.—
Joe Smith,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Ole Miss coach wanted to shake his hand and congratulate him.—
Seth Emerson,
New York Times,
19 Oct. 2025
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West, in an interview, congratulated Dokes on her decision to run and welcomed her to the race.—
Ella McCarthy,
Arkansas Online,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hero-worship.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hero-worship. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
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