apotheosize

American  

[uh-poth-ee-uh-sahyz, ap-uh-thee-uh-sahyz] / əˈpɒθ i əˌsaɪz, ˌæp əˈθi əˌsaɪz /

verb (used with object)

apotheosized, apotheosizing

1. to deify; glorify.

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apotheosize British  

/ əˈpɒθɪəˌsaɪz /

verb

1. to deify

2. to glorify or idealize

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Etymology

Origin of apotheosize

First recorded in 1750–60; apotheos(is) + -ize

Explanation

To apotheosize is to worship someone or something, almost as if they were a god. When the most popular teacher in school retires, her former students might start to apotheosize her. When you apotheosize, you deify or glorify, your admiration and respect becoming so exaggerated that you might be talking about a deity instead of a human: "Beyoncé is a goddess!" This verb comes from the Greek apotheosis and its roots, apo, "change," and theos, "god." Now you know the perfect word to describe what happens when you talk about your favorite basketball player!

Example Sentences

The hovering brush strokes and vertiginous layering of an emerald Laura Owens canvas apotheosize Photoshop techniques.

From New York Times • Jul. 13, 2022

How did the unifying centrist apotheosize into the Notorious RBG, a revered icon of fiery dissent?

From Washington Post • Nov. 8, 2018

Now, though, Lewis has taken on his most difficult challenge: He has chosen to apotheosize three obscure government agencies — the Department of Energy, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Commerce.

From New York Times • Oct. 8, 2018

To apotheosize the clichés of the genre while subverting them is a neat trick, but the cadre pulls it off.

From Time • Apr. 16, 2010

The lapse of time is of itself sufficient to idealize, and even to apotheosize, remarkable personages who in reality were not without their weaknesses.

From Women of Early Christianity by Brittain, Alfred