1
as in to adore
to love or admire too much
people who hero-worship celebrities are setting themselves up for disappointment
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to overpraise
to praise too much
a golfing pro who is hero-worshipped by hordes of weekend duffers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in worship
excessive admiration of or devotion to a person
once the object of uncritical hero worship, the aging quarterback now faces the derision of his team's fickle fans
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hero-worship
Thomas Smith, Billboard, 6 May 2025
There’s a kitschy, romantic, hero-worshipping nostalgia to the image, as if Norman Rockwell had undergone a lobotomy.
—Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2025
Nina Khrushcheva, Time, 3 Oct. 2025
Apatow’s descriptions of these early interviews are laced with self-deprecation and hero worship.
—Adrienne Lafrance, The Atlantic, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hero-worship
Verb
In an accompanying statement, Yungblud said that the record explores the theme of hero-worship.
—Thomas Smith, Billboard, 6 May 2025
There’s a kitschy, romantic, hero-worshipping nostalgia to the image, as if Norman Rockwell had undergone a lobotomy.
—Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2025
Noun
The state media and government representatives push militarism and self-sacrifice; school curricula endlessly celebrate Russian war victories; theaters obediently stage works of communist-era patriotic authors; and cities display army recruitment banners and hero worship posters.
—Nina Khrushcheva, Time, 3 Oct. 2025
Apatow’s descriptions of these early interviews are laced with self-deprecation and hero worship.
—Adrienne Lafrance, The Atlantic, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hero-worship
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hero-worship
Verb
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Skip to main content Find something the fellow travelers in your life will adore—we've got gift ideas for everyone on your list.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
6 Feb. 2026
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People adored him and gravitated towards him.—
Jay Stahl,
USA Today,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The result is sometimes overpraising, overprotection, and overindulging children, mixing emotional intensity with economic privilege in ways that breed entitlement.—
Christine Michel Carter,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
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Know-nothings pretend that Schrader’s Bressonian mannerisms reveal the spiritual depths of contemporary crisis, when, in fact, Master Gardener repeats the same social-collapse paranoia that made secular reviewers overpraise the religious, racial, suicide-bomber topics of First Reformed.—
Armond White,
National Review,
24 May 2023
Noun
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Sixty-five warming spaces — located at hospitals, houses of worship and schools — are active around town throughout the weekend, with warming buses also parked outside many of the hospitals and also transit hubs.—
Nicholas Williams,
New York Daily News,
8 Feb. 2026
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Moving the church into a dedicated worship space will free up the gym and allow local Assyrians to start turning the building into a community gathering place, said Ashur Shiba, a Morton Grove village trustee and executive director of the grassroots group Vote Assyrian.—
Marie Wilson,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Feltner likes the direction the Rockies are headed under a new front office and pitching staff as camp opens.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
12 Feb. 2026
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Minnesota goodbye College hockey coaches generally don’t like to see their players leave school early for the professional ranks.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In the same breath, Cosgrove praised Diggins for being vulnerable throughout her rise up the ranks, such as sharing her struggle with an eating disorder, which has played a role in inspiring the next generation to face their own struggles.—
Dane Mizutani,
Twin Cities,
7 Feb. 2026
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Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition, praised the mayor’s directive in a statement.—
Josephine Stratman,
New York Daily News,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The retreat will include interactive talks, personal time for couples’ reflection and discussion, a continental breakfast and catered lunch, and adoration with a special blessing for the couples.—
Post-Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Feb. 2026
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My list is filled with personal adoration for each of these plants.—
Neil Sperry,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Regenda grew up idolizing other Slovakian stars like Marian Hossa, Marian Gaborik, Pavol Demitra, and Zdeno Chara.—
Curtis Pashelka,
Mercury News,
10 Feb. 2026
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The whole world loved him, idolized him.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The surprise meeting was on the stage of the Zlata Hokejka (Golden Stick) award show in the Czech Republic, where Hašek congratulated Dostál for being named one of the country’s best hockey players.—
Jesse Granger,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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Rehmet said Patrick congratulated him.—
Jack Fink,
CBS News,
8 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hero-worship.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hero-worship. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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