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
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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hero-worship
Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Mar. 2025
Machismo is another one of these elements as the doc repeatedly shows a star matador and his hero-worshipping entourage.
—Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Mar. 2025
Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 7 Feb. 2025
Springsteen admires the precision, energy, and intelligence of Bryan’s songwriting, but he’s also clearly charmed by the 28-year-old Navy veteran’s obvious hero worship, puppy-in-a-frat energy, and relentless sincerity.
—Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for hero-worship
Verb
Machismo is another one of these elements as the doc repeatedly shows a star matador and his hero-worshipping entourage.
—Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Mar. 2025
Machismo is another one of these elements as the doc repeatedly shows a star matador and his hero-worshipping entourage.
—Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Mar. 2025
Noun
Prone to hero worship early on, Drake hashed out his style in public, dabbling in rap while working on the Canadian teen soap Degrassi: The Next Generation.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 7 Feb. 2025
Springsteen admires the precision, energy, and intelligence of Bryan’s songwriting, but he’s also clearly charmed by the 28-year-old Navy veteran’s obvious hero worship, puppy-in-a-frat energy, and relentless sincerity.
—Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for hero-worship
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hero-worship
Verb
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Superstars must come to an understanding that their life will never be the same as the many people who adore them.—
Rick Mauch,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 May 2025
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Mensah is adored by her superiors at Netflix after delivering a string of hits, including Adolescence, Baby Reindeer, and The Gentlemen.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
12 May 2025
Verb
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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
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He’s overpraised of course.—
Nick Laird,
The New York Review of Books,
16 Mar. 2023
Noun
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The pope then led a prayer to ask God for forgiveness and acknowledge sins, before being joined by the congregation in singing and a period of worship, per the BBC.—
Rachel Raposas,
People.com,
9 May 2025
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Questions of faith and human stories of the divine have a resonance that supersede any particular form of worship.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
8 May 2025
Verb
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The designer, 41, likes to tumble together disparate references, from classical tailoring to streetwear to offbeat historical references, including Flemish Old Masters.—
Miles Socha,
Footwear News,
12 May 2025
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But a horse who likes to hang behind and make a late push won’t want to get trapped against the railing.—
Sam Cohn,
Baltimore Sun,
12 May 2025
Verb
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At the May 13 Village Board meeting, the first meeting since Buchanan resigned, current board members who served with Buchanan praised her.—
Bob Skolnik,
Chicago Tribune,
15 May 2025
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Like several Republicans, Rep. Chuck Fleischmann of Tennessee praised Kennedy for his work promoting healthy foods.—
Amanda Seitz,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2025
Noun
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Naturally, Hamlin has also taught her mom a thing or two about makeup (mainly an adoration for the Greige Lip Pencil, $25).—
Rebecca Aizin,
People.com,
7 May 2025
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Davidson openly admits his adoration for Axe, leaning into these more sophisticated scents for everyday use, and soliciting advice to the next generation on how to build confidence while upgrading any younger guy's aesthetic.—
Cassell Ferere,
Forbes.com,
27 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Buy Now Of Course Listening to an Audiobook 'Counts' as Reading — and Why the Debate Just Distracts Us From What Matters 08 of 08 'Fake Skating' by Lynn Painter Dani couldn't help idolizing her mom's best friend's son Alec growing up.—
Lizz Schumer,
People.com,
25 Apr. 2025
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In Ellis’ novel, Patrick Bateman also idolizes Donald Trump, who is currently serving his second term as the U.S. president.—
Carly Thomas,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Apr. 2025
Verb
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An array of European leaders congratulated Dan on his victory, including France’s Emmanuel Macron, Poland’s Donald Tusk and Moldova’s Maia Sandu.—
Mitchell McCluskey,
CNN Money,
19 May 2025
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The Redditor said that her mother-in-law started tearing up and her boss stood up to congratulate them.—
Sabrina Weiss,
People.com,
19 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hero-worship.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hero-worship. Accessed 22 May. 2025.
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