as in admired
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 lionized
On Sunday, he was lionized as a Christian martyr and patriot committed to free expression and challenging liberal orthodoxy.
—
Fortune, 22 Sep. 2025
Conservatives memorialize Kirk as 'martyr' and 'warrior' Kirk was lionized by several speakers as a modern-day martyr, many using the word in the context of his Christian faith.
—Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 21 Sep. 2025
Barry Goldwater thundered against centralized power, Ronald Reagan lionized hands-off government and liberty, and even Richard Nixon respected certain limits.
—Dan Perry, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
Fortune, 22 Sep. 2025
Conservatives memorialize Kirk as 'martyr' and 'warrior' Kirk was lionized by several speakers as a modern-day martyr, many using the word in the context of his Christian faith.
—Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 21 Sep. 2025
Barry Goldwater thundered against centralized power, Ronald Reagan lionized hands-off government and liberty, and even Richard Nixon respected certain limits.
—Dan Perry, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lionized
Verb
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Manes admired Bukele’s reformist zeal, former colleagues said.—
T. Christian Miller,
ProPublica,
30 Sep. 2025
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One man, wearing a faded Scott Kingery shirt, admired the view from behind home plate on the club level.—
Matt Gelb,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Hours after being honored with a parade in Omaha, the 38-year-old boxer was held at gunpoint by local police during a traffic stop.—
Armon Sadler,
VIBE.com,
29 Sep. 2025
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Over the course of her six-decade career, she’s been honored with four Golden Globes, three Grammys, three Emmys, two Tonys, and a Kennedy Center Honor, with two Oscar nominations as well, as previously mentioned.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In late 2010, Facebook became revered as the gold standard of revolutionary organizing, sweeping across the Middle East and North Africa following the self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi in Tunisia.—
Mandy Taheri,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
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At once revered and a little feared, AI is the industry’s shiny new toy and buzzword.—
Lauren Parker,
Sourcing Journal,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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TikTok users have praised Worley for saving Juni, leading to more than 1,600 comments on the TikTok video so far.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
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Hobbs' approach, which was the result of a complex collaboration between academic experts, state leaders and local stakeholders, has been widely praised.—
Joan Meiners,
AZCentral.com,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Danon added that most delegations stayed in the room and respected both Netanyahu and the state of Israel.—
Rachel Wolf,
FOXNews.com,
30 Sep. 2025
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She is respected throughout the league and deeply embedded in the players’ CBA negotiations.—
John Shipley,
Twin Cities,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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For all their differences in background, temperament, and approaches to art, Matisse and Picasso both venerated Cézanne, Delacroix, Manet, and van Gogh.—
Christopher C. Gorham
September 29,
Literary Hub,
29 Sep. 2025
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The site is retired from active worship but still venerated.—
Jack Tydeman,
Travel + Leisure,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Rulers on the Nile did not rely solely on their own human powers but worshipped and propitiated a natural world that was alive with gods.—
Vanessa Taylor,
Big Think,
25 Sep. 2025
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Star athletes are worshipped as minor deities in the real world.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
20 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lionized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lionized. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.
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