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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Recent Examples of lionizing
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
Maya Silver, Outside, 20 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lionizing
Verb
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Burghers with no family interest in the results were there just to see who had fallen into the bottom 10 percent—that was a bigger draw than honoring the top 5 percent, who would sit the following month for the provincial round.—
George Packer,
The Atlantic,
6 Nov. 2025
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The awards were given out across eleven categories, honoring the filmmakers whose work resonated most with this year’s festivalgoers.—
Andrew McGowan,
Variety,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Celebrini is among many players his age who grew up admiring Jonathan Toews, who signed a one-year deal with his hometown Jets in July.—
Curtis Pashelka,
Mercury News,
8 Nov. 2025
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The Orbán-admiring Hungarian press is full of stories about how Orbán will be staying at Blair House, the official guest residence of the White House, a sign of how much things have changed since Orbán was persona non grata during the Biden years.—
Kim Lane Scheppele,
Time,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Perry officially kicked off the screening by praising his star Shannon Thornton, best known for her role as Miss Mississippi on Katori Hall’s hit Starz show P-Valley.—
Ronda Racha Penrice,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Nov. 2025
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Patteron burst out laughing and praising her roast.—
Armando Tinoco,
Deadline,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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And respecting human dignity allows business and organizational leaders to do so in ways that, frankly, few competitors are pursuing.—
Jed Brewer,
Rolling Stone,
4 Nov. 2025
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Toklas went on to fiercely uphold the author’s legacy, honoring Stein’s apparent desire to be understood while at the same time respecting her equally strong wish to remain elusive.—
Daphne Merkin,
The Atlantic,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Still worshipping and leading others in worship – just on my own.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
9 Oct. 2025
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Its followers strictly adhere to the 29 commandments of Guru Jambheshwar, which include the sacred principles of worshiping and protecting all animals.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In developing proprietary colors and in-house embroideries, the late founder set a template that Shukla is exalting.—
Miles Socha,
Footwear News,
22 Sep. 2025
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Summer is usually the time of long days and longer vacations, but summer 2025 was a season where the business world’s inviolable godhead, the chief executive officer, looked less and less like a position worth exalting.—
Ian Chaffee,
Fortune,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lionizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lionizing. Accessed 16 Nov. 2025.
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