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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lionized
Verb
-
But when Story stepped to the plate — after Willson Contreras launched a 449-foot home run, admired his work and then tossed his bat toward the on-deck circle, and after Wilyer Abreu followed with a 396-foot blast of his own — Valdez threw, of all things, a four-seam fastball.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
6 May 2026
-
Haitian fans have long admired the Brazilian team and fashion their play after the Brazilian fancy-passing style.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
In 2025, she was honored as Freelance Journalist of the Year by Philadelphia's oldest press club.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 May 2026
-
At the 2025 gala, the then-18-year-old honored her late mother by wearing the same gown Smith had worn to the Barnstable Brown Gala in 2004.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 May 2026
Verb
-
The Argentine director is revered at home and abroad — and even took a meeting with Marvel.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
6 May 2026
-
While The Jackson 5 were revered as pop sensations, their off-screen life started in a humble Indiana bungalow.—
India Roby,
Architectural Digest,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
Wintour then praised her co-chair Lauren Sánchez Bezos, citing her energy and positive attitude.—
Dalila Muata,
NBC news,
5 May 2026
-
Last year, she was praised for her take on Site Santa Fe.—
Julian Lucas,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
Lloyd is respected around the league and is valued as a networker with many European connections, which was instrumental in the Wolves’ drafting of French center Joan Beringer last summer.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
3 May 2026
-
May 4 French Canadian comedian Mike Ward may not be a household name in Los Angeles yet, but he’s widely respected in the comedy world for pushing boundaries.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In that vein, there has recently been considerable attention paid to Hasan Piker, the controversial influencer whom progressives have venerated yet whose extremism and anti-American tirades worry moderates — and give Republicans ammunition.—
Douglas E. Schoen,
Washington Post,
1 Apr. 2026
-
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
Verb
-
As journalist Margot Adler has shown, some neo-pagans believe that ancient societies that worshipped mother deities were more peaceful than cultures with patriarchal religious traditions.—
Marie-Claire Beaulieu,
The Conversation,
5 May 2026
-
The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, and in 1977, the state built an obelisk on the church’s grounds to honor Benjamin Banneker, a naturalist and mathematician who reportedly worshipped at the church during the early 1800s.—
Lily Carey,
Baltimore Sun,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lionized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lionized. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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