apotheosis

American  

[uh-poth-ee-oh-sis, ap-uh-thee-uh-sis] / əˌpɒθ iˈoʊ sɪs, ˌæp əˈθi ə sɪs /

noun

plural

apotheoses

1. the elevation or exaltation of a person to the rank of a god.

2. the ideal example; epitome; quintessence.

   This poem is the apotheosis of lyric expression.

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apotheosis British  

/ əˌpɒθɪˈəʊsɪs /

noun

1. the elevation of a person to the rank of a god; deification

2. glorification of a person or thing

3. a glorified ideal

4. the best or greatest time or event

   the apotheosis of De Niro's career

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Etymology

Origin of apotheosis

1570–80; < Late Latin < Greek. See apo-, theo-, -osis

Explanation

If your teacher says the term paper you handed in last week is a work of genius that sets a new gold standard for the school, he's telling you your work is the apotheosis of term papers. The epitome. Perfection. Hidden in the middle of apotheosis you'll find the Greek theos, meaning god. (Theology, the study of religion, has the same root.) Combine theos with apo "from" and you get a person, place, or thing that is so out-of-this-world amazing that it seems as if it's "from God." It's divine. You could make the assertion that Leonardo da Vinci was the apotheosis of genius and that the Mona Lisa is the apotheosis of all his paintings.

Example Sentences

Go the Capitol rotunda and look up at the dome, where Constantino Brumidi’s fresco The Apotheosis of Washington, painted during the Civil War, shows Washington in heaven, flanked by goddesses.

From Slate • Feb. 16, 2026

Mr. Ballin’s mural, “The Apotheosis of Power,” features the English physicist William Gilbert, a pioneer in the research of magnetism and electrical attraction, and Benjamin Franklin.

From New York Times • Oct. 4, 2016

So was the Apotheosis of Democracy pediment over the entrance to the House of Representatives on the U.S.

From Washington Post • Jan. 29, 2015

Pic - A sketch by Rubens of the Apotheosis of James I The collection also features some of Catherine II's personal items, such as snuffboxes, cameos and jewellery.

From BBC • Jul. 13, 2012

The Finale is one of the most thrilling perorations in music; not a perfunctory close, but a veritable Apotheosis of victorious aspiration, giving an irresistible contrast to the first movement.

From Music: An Art and a Language by Spalding, Walter Raymond

Related Words

• embodiment
• epitome
• exemplar
• ideal
• quintessence