deity
noun
a god or goddess.
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Deiti.
deity
American
[dee-i-tee]
/ ˈdi ɪ ti /
noun
-
deities
plural
-
a god or goddess.
-
divine character or nature, especially that of the Supreme Being; divinity.
-
the estate or rank of a god.
The king attained deity after his death.
-
a person or thing revered as a god or goddess.
a society in which money is the only deity.
-
the Deity, God; Supreme Being.
deity
1
British
/ ˈdeɪtɪ, ˈdiːɪ- /
noun
-
a god or goddess
-
the state of being divine; godhead
-
the rank, status, or position of a god
-
the nature or character of God
Deity
2
British
/ ˈdeɪtɪ, ˈdiːɪ- /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of deity
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English deite, from Old French, from Late Latin deitāt- (stem of deitās ), equivalent to Latin dei- (combining form of deus “god”) + -tāt- -ty 2, formed after Latin dīvīnitās divinity
Explanation
A deity is a supernatural being, like a god or goddess, that is worshipped by people who believe it controls or exerts force over some aspect of the world. The word deity means "divine nature." It was coined by Saint Augustine, a theologian whose writings were very influential in the shaping of Western Christianity. Deity comes from the Latin word for "god": deus. The divine nature of deities is believed to be immortal goodness and powerfulness.
Vocabulary lists containing deity
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
It means that vultures are a good omen when a sacrifice has been made because their presence suggests that the deity has accepted the sacrifice and heard the residents' appeal to its power.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
The Strait of Hormuz is, by some accounts, named for a Zoroastrian deity destined to emerge victorious after a 9,000-year standoff with an adversary.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
New religions are forming around artificial intelligence, and the focus of their worship is the large language model itself—a piece of software treated as a personal deity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026
The name Vasuki indicus honors the mythical serpent associated with the Hindu deity Shiva, as well as the country where the fossil was found.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 29, 2026
Those chronicles describe how the sun goddess Amaterasu, born from the left eye of the creator god Izanagi, sent her grandson Ninigi to earth on the Japanese island of Kyushu to wed an earthly deity.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
“While I am far from perfect, let me be clear: I believe Jesus was born of a virgin. I believe in the Deity of Christ as the only Son of God.”
From Washington Times ● Feb. 3, 2022
Johannah Kathleen Chase and Tim Allen Coates were married April 21 at Deity, an events space in Brooklyn.
From New York Times ● Apr. 22, 2018
When they were ready to open their doors in June 2012, they followed up with a coupon offering clients 30 percent off their first Deity appointment.
From Time ● Aug. 5, 2015
Then Eve declared, “Each creature hath a mate But me, and, Deity, I’m getting bored!”
From Washington Post ● May 13, 2015
And since I had been born in a Christian nation, I accepted this Deity as the only one.
From "The Fire Next Time" by James Baldwin
There’s a sense of childlike play in the work, but also an aura of the mythic, bringing to mind animal deities who hide deep in the wilds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
Odysseus may have held out hope throughout years of setbacks, obstacles and traps laid by vengeful deities, but the man who plays him on the big screen is no optimist.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026
When Hollywood deities Grace Kelly and Cary Grant were shown cruising along the French Riviera in a beautiful, sleek Sunbeam Alpine in To Catch a Thief, for example, they epitomised silver-screen elegance and savoir-faire.
From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026
This mix indicates that the sanctuary likely served as an important regional center where multiple deities were honored.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 5, 2026
The gods, the hovering deities who gave and took teenage loves, had decided that Obinze would go out with Ginika.
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
