idolization

noun

Definition of idolizationnext
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
  1. worship
  2. adoration
  3. idolatry
  4. worshipping
  5. adulation
  6. deification
Noun
  • Three places of worship were built to stand beside one another, yet the wider regional conflict has disrupted the setting in which they were intended to bring people together.
    — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 14 Nov. 2026
  • Whether or not anything political hangs on the outcome, mass worship is irrational at heart, as pop’s wiser practitioners know.
    — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 12 Nov. 2026
Definition of worship
Noun
  • The secret, top Verve brass say, is embracing their adoration for horror (and other genres too; the agency has a similar foothold in the animation space).
    — Matt Donnelly, Variety, 12 Nov. 2026
  • Clay/Ali remains one of the most indelible personalities of the 20th century, a man whose every public utterance and movement have become the subject of adoration and imitation.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of adoration
Noun
  • Though often misremembered as a boy’s adventure book, Gulliver’s Travels is both summation and rejoinder to the Enlightenment and how innumerable sins can result when the idolatry of reason leads to humans being treated as objects.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The market for racial idolatry in sports media has collapsed.
    — Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of idolatry
Noun
  • They may have been kept open throughout the year for rituals commemorating important dates and festivals, as well as the worshipping of the dead.
    — Jacqueline Ortoleva, Scientific American, 3 Oct. 2026
  • This, too, is a marvel of the modern Jewish state – the unusual multitasking of commuting and worshipping.
    — Ben Corn, Christian Science Monitor, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of worshipping
Noun
  • So were the trademark online videos showing the candidate goofing around in a hoodie, name-dropping Dunkin and Market Basket, and basking in the adulation of sparse crowds.
    — Jon Keller, CBS News, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Just how much money, property, power or adulation makes for a satisfying life?
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 30 Oct. 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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Cite this Entry

“Idolization.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idolization. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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