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lionizing

verb

present participle of lionize
as in honoring
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 lionizing In the early days of the war, Union troops from Boston had borrowed the familiar melody of a religious camp meeting song and added new lyrics lionizing John Brown, the leader of the 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia). — Steven Johnson, Washington Post, 14 July 2026 That brings us back to the folly of lionizing Kent as a conscientious objector to Trump and the president’s hawkish foreign policy as of late. — David M. Drucker, Twin Cities, 29 Mar. 2026 Los Angeles educators were also directed to immediately shift from lionizing Chávez to honoring instead the farmworkers’ movement. — Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026 Gelles avoids lionizing Patagonia’s leader, describing Chouinard’s mercurial leadership style that often bewildered his staff at Patagonia. — Maya Silver, Outside, 20 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lionizing
  1. honoring
  2. admiring
  3. praising
  4. revering
  5. venerating
  6. respecting
  7. worshipping
  8. exalting
Verb
  • My opponent voted against a resolution honoring America’s 250th.
    — Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The Titans went ahead with honoring the man nicknamed CJ2K after becoming the sixth man in NFL history to run for at least 2,000 yards.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Sep. 2026
Definition of honoring
Verb
  • Boards and executives should not manage cybersecurity by admiring dashboards.
    — Scott Alldridge, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Measurements taken where people actually use WiFi are far more useful than standing beside the router admiring an excellent speed test.
    — Matthew Kayser, Ascend Agency, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of admiring
Verb
  • In praising Chatfield, Brown recalled a gathering at his home last year.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The night before, Adria Petty, Tom’s daughter, offered the transition from the performance to the award segment, praising everyone involved for an unforgettable moment on the long tail her father left behind.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of praising
Verb
  • In time, generations of directors and studio execs who came up revering trailblazing path set by 1970s New Hollywood titans like Coppola would come to fundamentally see the sequel in a different light as a result.
    — Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Our history is complex but acknowledging its complexity shouldn't be considered inconsistent with loving our country and revering its founders.
    — New York Times, New York Times, 11 June 2026
Definition of revering
Verb
  • Jellicle Ball joins that lineage, inviting its audience to experience the joys of the Black and Latino ball scene while venerating its bittersweet roots.
    — Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Apr. 2026
  • Exquisite dribblers such as Olise need protecting and venerating.
    — James Horncastle, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Definition of venerating
Verb
  • Tools that detect hazards, monitor occupancy levels or identify emergency situations without collecting personally identifiable information can improve safety while respecting privacy.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The model is also better at staying oriented, respecting task boundaries, understanding user intent, completing tedious tasks and carrying out multi-step workflows, according to a release.
    — Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of respecting
Verb
  • Shankara advises that worshipping gods with names and stories through devotional rituals and sacred images (murtis) is an acceptable step for some people on the path toward a more philosophical understanding of an all-pervasive ultimate reality.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Sakela is typically expressed through dance, music, group rituals and by worshipping nature.
    — PhotoVogue, Vogue, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of worshipping
Verb
  • This has been an awesome showcase of American community, with our own USMNT support and other countries’ diasporas springing up exalting watch parties all over the place.
    — Alex Kirshner, New York Times, 19 July 2026
  • The story goes that Balanchine was so struck by the multi-colored glow of the jewelry displays at the Van Cleef & Arpels New York showroom that this led him to create a dance exalting their beauty.
    — Guillermo Perez, Miami Herald, 24 Mar. 2026
Definition of exalting

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Cite this Entry

“Lionizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lionizing. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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