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
Some people have lionized Mangione as a sort of vigilante hero.
—
CBS News, 21 Mar. 2026
Some people have lionized Mangione as a sort of vigilante hero.
—ABC News, 19 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
Keïta is lionized in the photo world, and in the art world at large, and rightfully so.
—Zoë Hopkins, New Yorker, 7 Feb. 2026
On Sunday, he was lionized as a Christian martyr and patriot committed to free expression and challenging liberal orthodoxy.
—Fortune, 22 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
Today, though, Oppenheimer is lionized while Bush is little known outside a small circle of historians, computer scientists, and policy thinkers.
—IEEE Spectrum, 18 June 2024
By the late 18th century, he had been lionized as a national hero who established the first, lasting European contact with the continent.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
CBS News, 21 Mar. 2026
Some people have lionized Mangione as a sort of vigilante hero.
—ABC News, 19 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
Keïta is lionized in the photo world, and in the art world at large, and rightfully so.
—Zoë Hopkins, New Yorker, 7 Feb. 2026
On Sunday, he was lionized as a Christian martyr and patriot committed to free expression and challenging liberal orthodoxy.
—Fortune, 22 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
Today, though, Oppenheimer is lionized while Bush is little known outside a small circle of historians, computer scientists, and policy thinkers.
—IEEE Spectrum, 18 June 2024
By the late 18th century, he had been lionized as a national hero who established the first, lasting European contact with the continent.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lionized
Verb
-
In this photo, Margaret admired Christian Dior's latest collection at his Paris fashion house in 1951.—
Katherine J Igoe,
InStyle,
5 Apr. 2026
-
You’re admired for your strength of purpose.—
Georgia Nichols,
Dallas Morning News,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Strong, who was honored as the AP Player of the Year on Thursday, had 12 points and 12 rebounds but went 4-for-16 from the field.—
Doug Feinberg,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Strong, who was honored as the AP Player of the Year on Thursday, had 12 points and 12 rebounds, but went four for 16 from the field.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
American flags and stone buildings dot the town square and those who put this usually low-key 25,000-person city on the map — there aren’t many — are revered like family.—
Michael Marot,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Apr. 2026
-
The rest are bars where cocktail-making is revered.—
Scott Hocker,
TheWeek,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
For White Ribbon Day in 2024, Bournemouth were praised for their video campaign, which showed the journeys of a man and a woman home from the Vitality Stadium after dark.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Hall praised the department’s efforts this year under the leadership of Wayne Jones, who became the city’s first Black police chief in 2023.—
Aaron Leibowitz,
Miami Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
All respected our Constitution.—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Many of the Gen Z terms, language enthusiasts say, once permeated Black subcultures, including early hip-hop music and underground drag culture, and were not fully accepted or respected by the mainstream.—
Moriah Humiston,
NBC news,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
There, at the present-day Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a bishop held up the cross for several hours as the faithful venerated it.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 Apr. 2026
-
They were venerated as their tribes’ leaders.—
U T Readers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The congregation worshiped on Palm Sunday at the Elgin History Museum.—
Mike Danahey,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Over the course of Egyptian history hundreds of gods and goddesses were worshipped.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lionized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lionized. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
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