as in adoring
reflecting great admiration or devotion
gave his fiancée an idolizing glance
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in worshipping
to love or admire too much
she blindly idolized her older sister, refusing to acknowledge any of her faults
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of idolizing
Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 3 June 2026
Needless to say, Adrián Morejón was excited to share a uniform with someone who grew up idolizing.
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 May 2026
Leave it to a musical theater girl from Pennsylvania who grew up idolizing Dion to create the ultimate tribute to her icon.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 29 May 2026
One fun discovery in Avedon’s extensive and dazzling archive was a portrait of director John Ford, whom Howard grew up idolizing.
—Angelique Jackson, Variety, 20 May 2026
Many of us grew up idolizing astronauts as the best of the best that America — and other nations — have to offer.
—Space.com Staff, Space.com, 9 May 2026
But as a kid who grew up idolizing Michael Jordan in the ’90s, Graham still felt this moment meant something more — to himself, to his family and to basketball as a whole.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2026
The Liberty, who won the 2024 WNBA championship, are led by a trio of veteran superstars in two-time MVP Breanna Stewart, 2021 MVP Jonquel Jones and four-time All-Star Sabrina Ionescu, players that most of Connecticut’s young talent grew up idolizing.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 3 May 2026
That’s part of the charm of idolizing one of the sport’s greatest ball movers.
—James L. Edwards Iii, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
Verb
Lampposts and trash cans in the vicinity of the courthouse and neighboring streets have been covered with stickers idolizing him as a saintlike Robin Hood figure.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 3 June 2026
Needless to say, Adrián Morejón was excited to share a uniform with someone who grew up idolizing.
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 May 2026
Leave it to a musical theater girl from Pennsylvania who grew up idolizing Dion to create the ultimate tribute to her icon.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 29 May 2026
One fun discovery in Avedon’s extensive and dazzling archive was a portrait of director John Ford, whom Howard grew up idolizing.
—Angelique Jackson, Variety, 20 May 2026
Many of us grew up idolizing astronauts as the best of the best that America — and other nations — have to offer.
—Space.com Staff, Space.com, 9 May 2026
But as a kid who grew up idolizing Michael Jordan in the ’90s, Graham still felt this moment meant something more — to himself, to his family and to basketball as a whole.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2026
The Liberty, who won the 2024 WNBA championship, are led by a trio of veteran superstars in two-time MVP Breanna Stewart, 2021 MVP Jonquel Jones and four-time All-Star Sabrina Ionescu, players that most of Connecticut’s young talent grew up idolizing.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 3 May 2026
That’s part of the charm of idolizing one of the sport’s greatest ball movers.
—James L. Edwards Iii, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for idolizing
Adjective
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Mom and daughter share adoring glances at an event to celebrate International Women's Day in London.—
Kate Hogan,
PEOPLE,
21 Apr. 2026
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But a falling out with former owner Glen Taylor kept him from returning to his ‘Sota to give adoring fans another chance to thank him for 14 seasons with No. 21 on his back and Minnesota in his heart.—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Mother African Union Church was founded decades before Juneteenth, born out of racist policies and structures that excluded people of African descent from worshipping freely.—
Wakisha Bailey,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
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In the entry, a ditsy print (Schumacher’s Margie Floral in Porcelain) climbs up the walls and carries the blue-and-white combo upstairs, where the primary suite embraces those same sky-worshipping shades—a tip of the hat to the scenery outside.—
Betsy Cribb Watson,
Southern Living,
5 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Idolizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idolizing. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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