as in worship
excessive admiration of or devotion to a person
the mass idolization of the Renaissance artist continues to this day
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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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for idolization
Noun
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Such institutional prejudice often surfaces, in ways both brazen and subtle, when Muslims attempt to build new places of worship or renovate existing ones.—
Connor Letourneau,
San Francisco Chronicle,
11 Apr. 2026
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Alston made use of her communications acumen in her volunteer work for her longtime church, Salem Baptist, now widely known as House of Hope after its worship center’s name.—
Bob Goldsborough,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Their adoration, combined with spending power, has created serious commercial opportunity for labels and brands that know how to tap in.—
Lucy Maguire,
Vogue,
8 Apr. 2026
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Adell soaked in every moment of the fans’ adoration throughout the night, showing his excitement with each catch.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The early colonists were very much anti-idol worshippers and even modern Catholics, as Vice President Vance surely knows, have long been criticized by their Protestant counterparts for a love of statuary, reliquaries and other iconography that some have argued fall into idolatry.—
Culture Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Apr. 2026
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Leo used his homily at Mass in the Monaco stadium to do just that, urging the faithful to reject the type of idolatry that has enslaved people in cycles of war and injustice.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
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By the nail holes above and beside the worshiping altar, the household hung garlands.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Feb. 2026
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Afternoons are made for fresh piña coladas, languid sun worshipping, and offshore adventures on motorboats fully stocked with snorkels, fins, and local beer.—
Rosalyn Wikeley,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
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But those self-adulations are often coupled with warnings that economic development success doesn’t happen by accident and can quickly slip away.—
Zachary Hansen,
AJC.com,
24 Mar. 2026
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The shift started in earnest with the adulation Ichiro Suzuki received upon his arrival in Major League Baseball in 2001.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In this plane of existence, though, these reports of abuse will at least put an end to his much undeserved deification by Mexican-American and other activists.—
Sal Rodriguez,
Oc Register,
18 Mar. 2026
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Stalin saw the symphony as his deification.—
Classical Music Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Idolization.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idolization. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
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