cult of personality

noun

1. a cult promoting adulation of a living national leader or public figure, as one encouraged by Stalin to extend his power.

Word History and Origins

Origin of cult of personality¹

Probably earlier than 1965–70; translation of Russian kulʾt líchnosti

Example Sentences

It’s nice to be the figurehead in the cult of personality, but these are truly the best people in the business.

From Los Angeles Times

After all, Trumpism is centered on a cult of personality, and its ideology is driven by his blinding ambition and force of will.

From Salon

Perhaps the lone exception in Eastern Europe was Romania, where Nicolae Ceaușescu — who had broken with Moscow years earlier — maintained a rigid dictatorship and cult of personality up until he faced a firing squad.

From Salon

It is, after all, as much a cult of personality as it is a political movement.

From Salon

Such utopian — and even messianic — ideologies typically contain a “pseudoreligious quality” that elicit an unwavering passion among their followers, even a cult of personality.

From Salon