lionized

verb

past tense of lionize
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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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 lionized Soaring energy prices and inflation have added to the burden as the tourism sector struggles to draw visitors to landscapes lionized in Hollywood by Peter O’Toole, Harrison Ford and Matt Damon. — ABC News, 4 Sep. 2026 Fauci, 85, truly one of humanity’s great public health heroes, will be lionized in history long after mediocrities like Paul, Uthmeier and Scott have been relegated to footnotes. — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 6 Aug. 2026 Greenspan was the rare celebrity among central bankers, lionized for his economic stewardship in the 1990s — and a reputation tarnished by the global financial crisis of 2008. — June 22, NPR, 22 June 2026 Jay Cooke, who had once been lionized for his role in financing the Union victory, was attacked in the press and accused of cheating ordinary Americans out of their savings. — John Cassidy, New Yorker, 15 June 2026 Nursing has long been lionized as one of the most stable and safe professions for young graduates to pursue. — Tristan Bove, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026 His work here should be respected, not lionized. — Jon Greenberg, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2026 Some people have lionized Mangione as a sort of vigilante hero. — CBS News, 21 Mar. 2026 To see that kind of big-budget artistry properly lionized, given some of the duds the Academy has recognized in recent years—I’m looking at you, Green Book—felt like a true triumph. — David Sims, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lionized
  1. admired
  2. honored
  3. revered
  4. praised
  5. respected
  6. venerated
  7. worshipped
Verb
  • Eight years later, the man once nicknamed Captain Berserko is now more admired than read.
    — Ryan Chapman, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Helen admired pheasants and kept their long, rusty feathers in her sewing room.
    — Tom Drury, Harpers Magazine, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of admired
Verb
  • There is another $14 billion arms package yet to be honored by Washington as well.
    — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2026
  • One panel named two brothers; another panel honored a mother and her two-year-old son.
    — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of honored
Verb
  • He will long be remembered and revered for his durability and loyalty to the Falcons and his proficiency at his craft.
    — Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Locals revered the place enough to leave it alone — and believed that interfering with the site would bring bad luck.
    — Lilit Marcus, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of revered
Verb
  • Republican lawmakers -- many of them in tough election contests where soaring fuel costs are driving voter anger -- praised the agreement.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
  • It was praised by criminal justice advocates as a step toward a new, more thoughtful approach to the court system.
    — Riley Bunch, AJC.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of praised
Verb
  • His character was deeply respected in the Hazzard community, often acting as a steadying influence amid the chaos.
    — Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2026
  • This place has an air of class; respect it, and be respected.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of respected
Verb
  • Reed, venerated for his solo artistry and collaborations with the Velvet Underground, is a quintessential New York City artist of the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s.
    — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Since at least 1389, two vials purportedly containing the saint’s blood have been venerated in Naples because of their inexplicable ability to liquefy on his feast days.
    — Clare Whitton, The Conversation, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of venerated
Verb
  • The species' non-linear approach to time, coupled with a penchant for making giant space vortices their home, suggests they're closely related to the wormhole aliens, aka Prophets, worshipped by the Bajorans.
    — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Agnes worshipped little Laurence; according to Galloway, her death, when Olivier was 12, left her son with a kind of hollowness and an obsession with succeeding at all costs.
    — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of worshipped

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Cite this Entry

“Lionized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lionized. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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