as in worship
excessive admiration of or devotion to a person
the mass idolization of the Renaissance artist continues to this day
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Recent Examples of idolization
The idolization of Steve Spurrier, dating a UF alum and understanding of Florida recruiting after a stint at FAU rang seemed to work in his favor.
—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
30 Nov. 2025
But even more clear to me this go-around was that Bella's idolization of Edward comes from a horrifyingly insecure place.
—
USA Today,
10 Oct. 2025
Her idolization has made her Mexico’s unofficial national totem, perhaps second only to the Virgin of Guadalupe.
—
Mathew Sandoval,
The Conversation,
24 Oct. 2023
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
30 Nov. 2025
But even more clear to me this go-around was that Bella's idolization of Edward comes from a horrifyingly insecure place.
—
USA Today,
10 Oct. 2025
Her idolization has made her Mexico’s unofficial national totem, perhaps second only to the Virgin of Guadalupe.
—
Mathew Sandoval,
The Conversation,
24 Oct. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for idolization
Noun
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Thousands gathered on Independence Mall Sunday evening for Gospel on Independence, filling the lawn with music, worship and anticipation before severe weather brought the event to an abrupt end.
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More than 140 family members and friends filled the 18th century Victorian house of worship’s wooden pews, iconic for featuring ornate animals carved into their ends.
Noun
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Marylanders showed their adoration by naming Montgomery County for him.
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Meanwhile, since the Scaloni era’s unprecedented winning streak, Argentineans’ adoration of Messi has, at last, become unconditional.
Noun
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But this facial gallery closed with the Western Roman Empire and the rise of Christianity, which inherited a suspicion of idolatry from the Old Testament and Judaism.
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The usual claims of occult idolatry, the sensitivity of children’s virgin eyes, and the fear of nurturing serial killers were at the heart of the debates, which had some comparing Schwartz to Jeffrey Dahmer and were only further accelerated by the intense graphics of illustrator Stephen Gammell.
Noun
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With wide sidewalks and a friendly park sandwiched in the middle, this is the city’s best stroll for window shopping, people watching, and sun worshiping.
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By the nail holes above and beside the worshiping altar, the household hung garlands.
Noun
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Fans showered Ovechkin with cheers and adulation, despite his refusal to acknowledge the surrounding uncertainty.
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Each member derives her own realizations from this experience, with its dual crucibles of grindingly hard work and pop adulation.
Noun
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After employees railed against Kirk’s deification by the right, his deifiers organized retribution against the employees and their employers.
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The deification and worship of Japanese war criminals responsible for some of the Japanese Empire’s worst crimes in Korea and China has long been a source of rancor in the region.
Cite this Entry
“Idolization.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idolization. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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