as in to honor
to treat (someone) as a very important and famous person
She was lionized everywhere after her novel won the Pulitzer Prize.
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Recent Examples of lionize
Hugo returned to a hero’s welcome, and to the establishment of the Third Republic, which lionized him until it, too, was at last destroyed by the same forces of reactionary authoritarianism, in new uniforms, in 1940.
—
Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 13 June 2025
His life wasn’t cut short like the lives of Jimi Hendrix or John Lennon, which was great, but also meant that he wasn’t lionized as a brilliant comet gone too soon.
—Ben Greenman, Pitchfork, 10 June 2025
Since his arrest in Pennsylvania earlier this week, Luigi Mangione has been the subject of memes, which have lionized his physique and appearance.
—Peter Suciu, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024
In the years after the attack, Trump lionized the Jan. 6 attackers and praised Babbitt as a martyr to his MAGA cause.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for lionize
Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 13 June 2025
His life wasn’t cut short like the lives of Jimi Hendrix or John Lennon, which was great, but also meant that he wasn’t lionized as a brilliant comet gone too soon.
—Ben Greenman, Pitchfork, 10 June 2025
Since his arrest in Pennsylvania earlier this week, Luigi Mangione has been the subject of memes, which have lionized his physique and appearance.
—Peter Suciu, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024
In the years after the attack, Trump lionized the Jan. 6 attackers and praised Babbitt as a martyr to his MAGA cause.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for lionize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lionize
Verb
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Cuban will be honored at a ceremony in the Austin Convention Center's Ballroom D on Monday evening.—
Karoline Leonard,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
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Ozzy Osbourne will be honored with a funeral procession, complete with a brass band, that will march through his hometown of Birmingham, England, this Wednesday, July 30.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
29 July 2025
Verb
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Rotating exhibits mean there’s always something new to admire.—
Erin Gifford,
Southern Living,
24 July 2025
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When sunset hit, the couple appeared to take a break out of their day to admire the view, which closed out the video.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
People.com,
24 July 2025
Verb
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Ethiopia’s lions are rather revered in Ethiopia, and are the country’s national symbol, adorning statues and the local currency.—
Mark Gray,
People.com,
18 July 2025
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The procession was led by a man carrying a cross on a tall pole, followed by a couple of Catholics holding a banner of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a popular image of the mother of Christ whom many Mexican Catholics revere.—
Niraj Warikoo,
Freep.com,
15 July 2025
Verb
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Fans drive what art gets created, what products get made, who gets canceled, and who gets venerated.—
Ellen Cushing,
The Atlantic,
10 July 2025
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In the post, Ramaswamy said America has venerated mediocrity.—
Scott Wartman,
The Enquirer,
2 July 2025
Verb
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Beyond just winning races, Aston Martin F1’s marketing strategy is towards continuously exalting the brand’s image to an impassioned community.—
Lilian Raji,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2025
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The images made the rounds on social media, as Leeds fans exalted Nance’s sense of style.—
Felipe Cardenas,
New York Times,
15 May 2025
Verb
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Your defiance is something that has made a lot of people really love and respect you.—
Brittany Spanos,
Rolling Stone,
22 July 2025
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Regardless of what the specific goals are, business leaders should respect them.—
Gary Ivory,
Forbes.com,
22 July 2025
Verb
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Wiegman generally hates talking about individual players, but goes out of her way to praise Bronze’s competitive spirit.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
26 July 2025
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Joel’s political statement was praised by his ex-wife, model Christie Brinkley, in an Instagram post at the time.—
Emlyn Travis Published,
EW.com,
25 July 2025
Verb
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Built by the pharaoh Akhenaten, who was dedicated to worshipping the sun's disk, the ancient city was discovered in 2020 near Luxor by Zahi Hawass, one of the world's most famous archaeologists and former minister of tourism and antiquities in Egypt.—
Jamie Carter,
Space.com,
19 July 2025
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Which only, in the end, feels like more reason to worship the majesty of nature.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
17 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lionize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lionize. Accessed 3 Aug. 2025.
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