cult of personality
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of cult of personality
Probably earlier than 1965–70; translation of Russian kulʾt líchnosti
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.
Most crucially, Kim Il Sung built up an extraordinary cult of personality around himself that was durable enough to hand down to his son and then his grandson, the current leader Kim Jong Un.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026
The Kim family has ruled North Korea with an iron grip for decades, and a cult of personality surrounding their "Paektu bloodline" dominates daily life in the isolated country.
From Barron's • Feb. 26, 2026
That day in Adamsville, it became clear how once a cult of personality is established in America, it can be near impossible to puncture.
From Slate • Nov. 6, 2025
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 • Sep. 25, 2025
Although it was unclear if he or his older relatives would wield real power, propagandists worked overtime manufacturing a new cult of personality.
From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden
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.
