hagiography
noun
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The second part of hagiography is familiar: the combining form -graphy, which comes from the Greek verb graphein, meaning "to write," is found in biography and calligraphy (among many others) too. Hagio-, however, is more unusual; it comes from a Greek word that meant "holy, sacred" in Ancient Greek and more recently "saintly," by way of the term Hagiographa, another name for the Ketuvim, the third part of the Jewish Scriptures. English's hagiography can refer to biography of actual saints, but it is more typically applied to biography that treats ordinary human subjects as if they were saints.
Examples of hagiography in a Sentence
Benjamin Cannon, The Atlantic, 23 Dec. 2025
But Burns and Botstein don’t give them the hagiography treatment.
—Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Nov. 2025
Filmmakers generally undertake such projects out of admiration, and, as a result, many veer quickly from enthusiasm to hagiography and from drama to fan service.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2025
Evaluations for top performers read as hagiographies.
—Davis Winkie, USA Today, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hagiography
Cite this Entry
“Hagiography.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hagiography. Accessed 31 Dec. 2025.
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