as in worship
excessive admiration of or devotion to a person
fans of the team are well known for their idolatry of the quarterback
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Recent Examples of idolatry
Miracle workers, moreover, often become the subjects of so much popular devotion that their authority can begin to approach idolatry or rival that of the Church itself.
—
Emily Harnett, Harpers Magazine, 28 Mar. 2025
Then there’s Rumi’s crush on Mrs. Malcolm, which includes several Mary Kay Letourneau jokes and initial idolatry of Vili Fualaau.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
But as a Christian, the bigger threat in the U.S. now seems to be Evangelical idolatry—this tendency of many Christians to turn a political candidate into an idol, particularly one who has proven himself so thoroughly unfit as Donald Trump.
—Donovan McAbee, TIME, 28 Oct. 2024
People begin drifting to certain games or consoles, staring intently at a wall of idolatry.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 27 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for idolatry
Emily Harnett, Harpers Magazine, 28 Mar. 2025
Then there’s Rumi’s crush on Mrs. Malcolm, which includes several Mary Kay Letourneau jokes and initial idolatry of Vili Fualaau.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
But as a Christian, the bigger threat in the U.S. now seems to be Evangelical idolatry—this tendency of many Christians to turn a political candidate into an idol, particularly one who has proven himself so thoroughly unfit as Donald Trump.
—Donovan McAbee, TIME, 28 Oct. 2024
People begin drifting to certain games or consoles, staring intently at a wall of idolatry.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 27 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for idolatry
Recent Examples of Synonyms for idolatry
Noun
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Eastern Wyandotte County residents saw their streets, basements, businesses and at least one place of worship flood as storms raged across the Kansas City metro and elsewhere on Monday evening.—
Sofi Zeman,
Kansas City Star,
21 May 2025
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The council also cited the Idaho Code, which does not allow a company to own a liquor license within 300 feet of any public school, church or place of worship.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
21 May 2025
Noun
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In the comment section, many celebrities shared their love and adoration for baby Jack, including rapper Sexxy Red, actress Justine Skye and Lori Harvey.—
Hannah Sacks,
People.com,
11 May 2025
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America’s irreplaceable contribution to winning that world war and preventing another deserves to be the object of adoration.—
Noah Rothman,
National Review,
8 May 2025
Noun
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So there has always been an attack on the present and a deification of the past on our way to saying that things are getting worse.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
8 May 2025
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The deification of our jazz dead is stunning to behold that way.—
Harmony Holiday,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Idolatry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idolatry. Accessed 27 May. 2025.
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