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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The San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys legend actually got a chance to hoist the Lombardi Trophy a sixth time Tuesday, as the NFL tabbed him to unveil it at the Super Bowl LX fan experience as part of honoring a longtime FedEx employee.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
4 Feb. 2026
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Artworks by Dara Birnbaum and Elaine Sturtevant flank the building’s entrance, honoring the theater’s origins as a women’s civic center.—
Will Fenstermaker,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The group received admiring press, and was funded by Congress and various philanthropies; the budget at Dare headquarters eventually approached twenty-five million dollars a year.—
Charles Duhigg,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
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Along with admiring the fountain's grandeur, many who visit the fountain to toss a coin into the water with their right hand over their left shoulder.—
Marina Watts,
PEOPLE,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The programs are some of the biggest things he’s done for the county, Karner said, praising their impact.—
Joseph States,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Jan. 2026
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Transportation and accelerated bridge construction Transportation featured prominently, with Healey again praising MBTA General Manager Phil Eng to the most rancorous applause of the night.—
Sam Drysdale,
CBS News,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Chu sits at the center of Hollywood, and grew up in Silicon Valley revering engineers.—
Andrew R. Chow,
Time,
14 Nov. 2025
Verb
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And, online, there has been a never-ending stream of posts venerating Kirk as a martyr who died defending white Christian values.—
Ryan Broderick,
Rolling Stone,
24 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Maybe even in the long term there will be a health cost for respecting parental choice.—
Peter M. Sandman,
STAT,
26 Jan. 2026
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Tito sees it as a matter of respecting time.—
Tony Bradley,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Freedom of religion Those who were worshipping at Cities Church when the service was disrupted also have a First Amendment right to practice their religion.—
BrieAnna J. Frank,
USA Today,
4 Feb. 2026
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The original movie followed MacCaullay as a young bride hunted by her spouse’s wealthy family on her wedding night as part of a Devil-worshipping ritual.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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As Alvarado explores repeatedly, Valdez rejected that pathway, instead honing his indigenous roots, and dedicating his life to exalting those who, like him, exist in the in-between.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
23 Jan. 2026
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The executive is looking to bring the Kate Somerville brand back to a strong position by leaning into its clinical roots and exalting its hero ExfoliKate line of cleansers and treatments, priced between $46 for a foaming wash and $85 for an exfoliating treatment.—
Noor Lobad,
Footwear News,
30 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lionizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lionizing. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
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