Pantheon
noun
a domed circular temple at Rome, erected a.d. 120–124 by Hadrian, used as a church since a.d.
Pantheon
1 American
[pan-thee-on, -uhn, pan-thee-uhn]
/ ˈpæn θiˌɒn, -ən, pænˈθi ən /
noun
-
a domed circular temple at Rome, erected a.d. 120–124 by Hadrian, used as a church since a.d.
-
(lowercase) a public building containing tombs or memorials of the illustrious dead of a nation.
-
(lowercase) the place of the heroes or idols of any group, individual, movement, party, etc., or the heroes or idols themselves.
to earn a place in the pantheon of American literature.
-
(lowercase) a temple dedicated to all the gods.
-
(lowercase) the gods of a particular mythology considered collectively.
Panthéon
2
American
[pahn -tay-awn]
/ pɑ̃ teɪˈɔ̃ /
noun
pantheon
1
British
/ pænˈθiːən, ˈpænθɪən /
noun
-
(esp in ancient Greece or Rome) a temple to all the gods
-
all the gods collectively of a religion
-
a monument or building commemorating a nation's dead heroes
Pantheon
2
British
/ pænˈθiːən, ˈpænθɪən /
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of Pantheon
1375–1425; late Middle English panteon < Latin Panthēon < Greek Pántheion, noun use of neuter of pántheios of all gods, equivalent to pan- pan- + the ( ós ) god + -ios adj. suffix
Explanation
In the pantheon of great movie stars, Marilyn Monroe might well be considered the brightest of them all. The actual Pantheon was a temple built by the Romans — but we use it to mean any group of exalted figures. To place someone in a pantheon is to decide that they belong to a "club" whose members are all only the greatest people to have done the same thing. It's like a little temple of little gods. Tiger Woods, for example, definitely belongs in the pantheon of great golfers –– alongside Palmer, Nicklaus and Singh. If you want to see the real Pantheon, that is the building itself with the world's oldest concrete dome, then you'll have to go to Rome.
Vocabulary lists containing pantheon
For National Pancake Day, Words With the Greek Roots "Pan-"
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Ancient Rome - Introductory
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This Week in Pop Culture: January 26 - February 1, 2019
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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:
Pantheon Macroeconomics Asia economist Meekita Gupta attributed the surprisingly strong growth to a "resurgence in AI servers".
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
Pantheon Macro described the move as the largest stimulus in two years.
From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026
“Affordability has worsened this year, as mortgage rates have climbed and wages have risen only slightly more quickly than home prices,” Samuel Tombs, chief U.S. economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, wrote in a note.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
Colin Scott had just arrived in the Italian capital with partner Anabella Mcallister, when he disappeared up a side street near the Pantheon at about 22:00 on Friday evening.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
Five nights a week the working people of the Pantheon quarter danced there.
From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway
In 1989, during the French revolutionary bicentennial celebrations, Condorcet was symbolically interred in the Panthéon, but Brissot, who advocated the export of the revolution to other nations by force, remains a less-celebrated figure.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 27, 2026
French President Emmanuel Macron is seeking to change that by inducting Manouchian into the Panthéon national monument on Wednesday.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 20, 2024
Macron is to lead a Paris ceremony in homage to Manouchian at the Panthéon, the resting place of France’s most revered figures, in the presence of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 20, 2024
In this still shot, the city stretches into the distance, the perfectly centered Panthéon punctuating the frame.
From New York Times ● Apr. 14, 2022
The old clock in the Henri IV. tower behind the Panthéon chimed eleven.
From Mlle. Fouchette A Novel of French Life by Charles Theodore Murray
Susie Wiles, Trump’s current chief of staff, won’t be included in that pantheon, even though the president’s second term is a very different operation than the first.
From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2026
Where losing a 4-0 advantage ranks in the pantheon of Celtic failures is a moot point.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
But in a pantheon of colourful characters, Count Binface, a man wearing a rubbish bin over his head, is stealing the show.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
“I’m drawn to police detectives, not private detectives,” he says, pointing to the duty-bound, badge-wearing protagonist in “Cure,” a Criterion-anointed classic now held in the same pantheon of serial killer tales as “Seven” and “Manhunter.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
Indeed, if there were an American pantheon, only Washington would have had a more secure place in it than Franklin.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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