lionization

noun

Definition of lionizationnext
as in praise

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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 lionization But the tonal change from braggadocio to lionization is notable, Reisman slipping at times into the giddiness of a die-hard fan meeting their idols. — Julien Levy, Rolling Stone, 27 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lionization
  1. praise
  2. adoration
  3. deference
  4. reverence
  5. approbation
  6. idolatry
  7. worship
  8. admiration
Noun
  • Bobby Wilson was a pastor’s son who grew up idolizing the kind of R&B dudes who could wail a praise song and then hit up Freaknik afterwards (think Jodeci and H-Town).
    — Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 11 July 2026
  • Amassing 2 million views and widespread praise, these videos feature photorealistic AI versions of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia, with stories set between *The Empire Strikes Back* and *Return of the Jedi*.
    — Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
Definition of praise
Noun
  • Part of that adoration comes from a high level of public awareness about wildlife and conservation in Tasmania, home to many endemic species found nowhere else in the world.
    — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 11 July 2026
  • Marylanders showed their adoration by naming Montgomery County for him.
    — Sarah M.S. Pearsall, The Conversation, 2 July 2026
Definition of adoration
Noun
  • Your Chinese colleague speaks softly in a meeting; is that cultural deference or introversion?
    — Andy Molinsky, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • Japan’s players, initially reverential to the point of deference in Zico’s presence, came out of their shells.
    — Jack Lang, New York Times, 29 June 2026
Definition of deference
Noun
  • The actor, whose political beliefs don’t cleanly map onto the modern divisions of the two-party system, has both a reverence for America as a set of ideals and an awareness of the faults within its history that creates interesting textual friction.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 3 July 2026
  • In a video shared from the stands on X (formerly Twitter), the young royal—who wore a dark blue dress with white polka dots and fluttery sleeves—could be seen looking at her mom with reverence.
    — Alicia Brunker, InStyle, 3 July 2026
Definition of reverence
Noun
  • This too is greeted with collective approbation; everyone recognizes that this is the right thing to do.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 June 2026
  • While the heartbeat of the play remains with Caroline and Maddie, Rhea certainly earns our sympathy if not our approbation.
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2025
Definition of approbation
Noun
  • But this facial gallery closed with the Western Roman Empire and the rise of Christianity, which inherited a suspicion of idolatry from the Old Testament and Judaism.
    — Cal Revely-Calder, New Yorker, 29 June 2026
  • The usual claims of occult idolatry, the sensitivity of children’s virgin eyes, and the fear of nurturing serial killers were at the heart of the debates, which had some comparing Schwartz to Jeffrey Dahmer and were only further accelerated by the intense graphics of illustrator Stephen Gammell.
    — SPIN Team, SPIN, 22 June 2026
Definition of idolatry
Noun
  • Historically, the Catholic Church had denied religious funerals inside its houses of worship as well as traditional burials for those who died in this way.
    — Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
  • Nearby are the Druidical worship sites of Avebury and Stonehenge; there is a Celtic burial ground hidden in one of Ashcombe's deep, romantic coombes.
    — Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 5 July 2026
Definition of worship
Noun
  • At a certain point, the admiration for Paraguay’s underdog defiance and spoiling strategy gave way to exasperation.
    — Adam Crafton, New York Times, 5 July 2026
  • Trump expressed admiration for Erdogan even while standing beside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a joint press conference last year.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 July 2026
Definition of admiration

Browse Nearby Words

lionhearted
lionization
lionizations
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Cite this Entry

“Lionization.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lionization. Accessed 15 Jul. 2026.

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