Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for apotheosis. Search instead for Apothesis.
Synonyms

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.
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
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of apotheosis

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

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.

The Portuguese design genius for mixing the pious with playfully overelaborated touches reaches its apotheosis at this Unesco World Heritage site—Portugal’s equivalent of France’s monumental Cathedral of Chartres.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

Which brings me to what I believe is the modern apotheosis of the genre.

From Salon • Jun. 18, 2025

“Huck Finn” was the apotheosis of Twain’s gift for truth-telling, as he exposed the sadistic oppression of Black people and made the slave Jim the hero.

From Los Angeles Times • May 9, 2025

Borglum believed the American political system was the apotheosis of human civilization, and he wanted his sculpture to stand alongside the Parthenon and pyramids as testaments to grand civilizations and cultures.

From Slate • Mar. 13, 2025

After several rounds of refinement in the Langley wind tunnels, the Mustang achieved its apotheosis with the P-51D.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly

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.