IDOLIZATION Synonyms: 35 Similar and Opposite Words

idolization

noun

Definition of idolization

as in worship

excessive admiration of or devotion to a person the mass idolization of the Renaissance artist continues to this day

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of idolization The idolization of Steve Spurrier, dating a UF alum and understanding of Florida recruiting after a stint at FAU rang seemed to work in his favor. — Noah White, Miami Herald, 30 Nov. 2025 But even more clear to me this go-around was that Bella's idolization of Edward comes from a horrifyingly insecure place. — USA Today, 10 Oct. 2025 Her idolization has made her Mexico’s unofficial national totem, perhaps second only to the Virgin of Guadalupe. — Mathew Sandoval, The Conversation, 24 Oct. 2023

Recent Examples of Synonyms for idolization

Noun

Hamilton said his sermons are in line with beliefs held by the Catholic Church, mainline Christian faiths and some evangelical houses of worship.

— Sarah D. Wire, USA Today, 22 Aug. 2026
Past and present Unfortunately, violence against Black places of worship is not relegated to America’s history.

— Jason Wollschleger, The Conversation, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of worship

Noun

Sabrina is no Dolly, which isn’t a knock but a comment on the impossibility of any new artist ever enjoying the level of admiration and adoration that Parton did for most of her life.

— David Kamp, HollywoodReporter, 27 Aug. 2026
So Big Part of what made Dolly exceptional was her broad appeal and universal adoration.

— Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of adoration

Noun

With wide sidewalks and a friendly park sandwiched in the middle, this is the city’s best stroll for window shopping, people watching, and sun worshiping.

— Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 10 June 2026
By the nail holes above and beside the worshiping altar, the household hung garlands.

— Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 14 Feb. 2026

Definition of worshipping

Noun

Djokovic will have cheers about as loud as the ones that will be heard for the Americans Shelton and Fritz, the type of adulation that often fizzles before the ultimate prize.

— Ava Wallace, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
What might her bandmate Daniela Avanzini have to say in a song about their past year of adulation and never-ending scrutiny?

— Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of adulation

Noun

After employees railed against Kirk’s deification by the right, his deifiers organized retribution against the employees and their employers.

— Jerel Ezell, Mercury News, 6 May 2026
The deification and worship of Japanese war criminals responsible for some of the Japanese Empire’s worst crimes in Korea and China has long been a source of rancor in the region.

— Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 22 Apr. 2026

Definition of deification

Browse Nearby Words

idolatry

idolization

idolizations

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Style

“Idolization.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idolization. Accessed 30 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of idolization

noun

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