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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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
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 11 Nov. 2025
Bruins players receive their share of glory and hero worship.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 10 Nov. 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
This is the vibe that Edgar Wright is chasing with his version of The Running Man, which hews closely to the original text with a fidelity bordering on hero worship.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 11 Nov. 2025
Bruins players receive their share of glory and hero worship.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 10 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hero-worship
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hero-worship
Verb
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Above all, though, Melissa and Mark Hortman were parents who adored their children.—
Caroline Cummings,
CBS News,
14 June 2026
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This series feels like the ultimate fan-service spinoff, since Yellowstone fans seem to adore the Beth/Rip romance.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
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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Music will always be a uniting force, whether it's sung in our cars at the top of our lungs, or in houses of worship, or at football games or on the streets of Minnesota.—
Bryan West,
USA Today,
12 June 2026
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Armed guards must be posted in front of houses of worship.—
David Kay,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 June 2026
Verb
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The band retired from touring in 2023 and will now find infinite life as digital avatars, proving that their spirit of rock and roll will never fully die, regardless of whether some critics would’ve liked to have seen such a fate.—
Devon Ivie,
Vulture,
10 June 2026
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Bonham told Graves nobody likes the coleslaw, and Graves shrugged.—
Teresa Mull,
FOXNews.com,
10 June 2026
Verb
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Domingo praises Spielberg as a collaborator.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
13 June 2026
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Tend details gently, and praise small consistent gains.—
Tarot.com,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 June 2026
Noun
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But this crowd - predominantly middle-aged and male - had nothing but unmitigated adoration for Rush’s music and appreciation for the opportunity to experience it live again.—
Melissa Ruggieri,
USA Today,
8 June 2026
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Once Venus enters Leo, however, the cosmos turns up the charm in your relationship sector, bringing attention, passion and mutual adoration.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
5 June 2026
Verb
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As a filmmaker, your movies have helped shape people’s world views; obviously, many other directors idolize you.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
7 June 2026
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Lampposts and trash cans in the vicinity of the courthouse and neighboring streets have been covered with stickers idolizing him as a saintlike Robin Hood figure.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
3 June 2026
Verb
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Riquelme congratulated Pérez and accepted the result.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 June 2026
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Glashow passed the mic to Rosenthal, who began by congratulating director Quinn Whitney Wilson for the Netflix acquisition of the Tribeca Festival world premiere and her directorial doc debut, Jean-Michel Basquiat.—
Abbey White,
HollywoodReporter,
6 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hero-worship.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hero-worship. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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