as in to adore
to love or admire too much
she blindly idolized her older sister, refusing to acknowledge any of her faults
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Recent Examples of idolize
However, there are still very young children who idolize him.
—
Esteban Campanela, CNN Money, 25 Nov. 2025
Bergman grew up idolizing the famed attorney.
—Charlotte Alter, Time, 19 Nov. 2025
Smith grew up idolizing him as a boy in Louisville.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
The action then jumps seventeen years into the future, where Morgan and Chris’s daughter, Clara (Mckenna Grace), is now a teen-ager who resents her mom’s protectiveness and idolizes her freewheeling aunt.
—Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for idolize
Esteban Campanela, CNN Money, 25 Nov. 2025
Bergman grew up idolizing the famed attorney.
—Charlotte Alter, Time, 19 Nov. 2025
Smith grew up idolizing him as a boy in Louisville.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
The action then jumps seventeen years into the future, where Morgan and Chris’s daughter, Clara (Mckenna Grace), is now a teen-ager who resents her mom’s protectiveness and idolizes her freewheeling aunt.
—Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for idolize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for idolize
Verb
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Still, their esoteric acid rock was revered and adored by their huge and loyal fanbase, known as Deadheads.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Jan. 2026
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Leave it to a Housewife to find an adoring gay to glom on to.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Miles Mullin, the vice president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, said faith leaders can and often have led protests on social issues, but those should never prevent others from worshipping.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
22 Jan. 2026
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Oscar Wilde made the strongest case that worshipping beauty for its own sake can end only in death and destruction.—
Thomas Chatterton Williams,
The Atlantic,
19 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Most felines don't like the feeling of sticky tape, aluminum foil, or spiky plastic mats on their paws.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
22 Jan. 2026
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Watch Kim discuss liking Swift’s music in the podcast above.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Idolize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idolize. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
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