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
  • The period, which usually falls between July and August, is dedicated to the worship of Hindu god Lord Shiva and is marked by fasting, prayers and colorful monsoon festivals across India.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Central Synagogue vowed to not allow hatred to interrupt its call to worship.
    — Allen Devlin, CBS News, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of worship
Noun
  • Instant fame and all its trappings are something most people would love to marinate in, to soak up what almost always is fleeting adoration.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Another work, a small double-sided panel portraying the Virgin Mary and Child with a Franciscan friar in adoration on one side and the dead Christ in Pietà on the other, was also stolen.
    — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of adoration
Noun
  • The market for racial idolatry in sports media has collapsed.
    — Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The Assad regime cultivated idolatry and many had been happy to oblige it.
    — Lina Sergie Attar, Time, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of idolatry
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
  • 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
  • The adulation was directed at Harvey Levin, the co-creator and editor of the tabloid news organization.
    — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 22 July 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 23 Aug. 2026.

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