as in gods
a being having superhuman powers and control over a particular part of life or the world
to the ancient Greeks, Zeus was the deity who ruled over the sky and weather, and Poseidon was god of the sea
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Recent Examples of deities
In the 20th century, the scientific community and environmental activists adopted the term Gaia – the Greek goddess personifying the Earth, the mother of all deities – to reflect the notion of the Earth as a living system.
—
Melinda Laituri, The Conversation, 4 Feb. 2026
Grasping hands reach out in despair, deities wield tridents and divine lotus flowers symbolize the 16 levels of Brahma (higher realms).
—Vicky Smith, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Belichick’s and Brady’s greatness and championships did not depend on Spygate, the coach already has paid his punishment for that, and the shrine in Canton, Ohio, is not restricted to mortal deities.
—Miami Herald, 28 Jan. 2026
Her book begins with a consideration of birth practices among women from the Minoan civilization—Bronze Age inhabitants of the island of Crete, whose deities included a goddess of childbirth.
—Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
That soft reboot of the franchise picked up with Kratos, a Spartan warrior who killed Ares and became the new Greek god of war in previous entries, living in Scandinavia in the realm of the Norse deities.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Jan. 2026
Whether through deities, numbers, planets or the seasons, people were always trying to understand themselves and their purpose on the planet.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 25 Nov. 2025
And yet for many years still, some societies fell back on naming deities for the wind, keeping it as an entity under celestial control, or having unfathomable consequences — and not wishing to pry too deeply into what caused it, taking a pre-Enlightenment attitude to it, letting the mystery be.
—Big Think, 18 Nov. 2025
Beijing’s temples are one of the busiest places to be during the Lunar New Year, with crowds packing temples to pay their respects to Buddhist deities.
—Jasmine Ting, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Nov. 2025
Melinda Laituri, The Conversation, 4 Feb. 2026
Grasping hands reach out in despair, deities wield tridents and divine lotus flowers symbolize the 16 levels of Brahma (higher realms).
—Vicky Smith, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Belichick’s and Brady’s greatness and championships did not depend on Spygate, the coach already has paid his punishment for that, and the shrine in Canton, Ohio, is not restricted to mortal deities.
—Miami Herald, 28 Jan. 2026
Her book begins with a consideration of birth practices among women from the Minoan civilization—Bronze Age inhabitants of the island of Crete, whose deities included a goddess of childbirth.
—Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
That soft reboot of the franchise picked up with Kratos, a Spartan warrior who killed Ares and became the new Greek god of war in previous entries, living in Scandinavia in the realm of the Norse deities.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Jan. 2026
Whether through deities, numbers, planets or the seasons, people were always trying to understand themselves and their purpose on the planet.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 25 Nov. 2025
And yet for many years still, some societies fell back on naming deities for the wind, keeping it as an entity under celestial control, or having unfathomable consequences — and not wishing to pry too deeply into what caused it, taking a pre-Enlightenment attitude to it, letting the mystery be.
—Big Think, 18 Nov. 2025
Beijing’s temples are one of the busiest places to be during the Lunar New Year, with crowds packing temples to pay their respects to Buddhist deities.
—Jasmine Ting, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deities
gods
Noun
-
Las Vegas is no longer the seat of the sportsbook gods.—
Dan Piepenbring,
New Yorker,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Well, the football gods have a sense of humor.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deities.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deities. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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