noun
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the act or process of exalting to the position of a god
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the state or condition of being deified
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of deification
1350–1400; Middle English deificacion < Late Latin deificātiōn- (stem of deificātiō ), equivalent to deificāt ( us ) (past participle of deificāre; deific ( us ) deific + -ātus -ate 1 ) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
Deification is when a person is treated like a god. If you love your basketball coach so much that you build her an altar and bow whenever she walks by, that’s deification. And a little weird. This word is a variation of deify which means to treat someone like a deity (a god). Deification is treating a mere mortal as someone godly. Often, this word is used negatively. For example, enthusiastic fans of someone could be accused of deification by non-fans. Someone must be considered extremely impressive to be the object of deification. This word is related to Latin deus (god).
Vocabulary lists containing deification
The Souls of Black Folk
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"Reality Check," Vocabulary from the short story
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The Island of Doctor Moreau
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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.
Sidestepping the deification of his subject, Mr. O’Meara humanizes Prefontaine in his vexing contradictions, buoyant spirit and brutal competitiveness.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2025
Or they knew her story through the lens of her deification.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 28, 2023
The process of deification had become so routine among later emperors that when the emperor Vespasian was dying, he is reported to have said, “Alas! I think I am becoming a god!”
From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023
During Jawaharlal Nehru’s political ascent in the 1930s, the man who would become the first prime minister of India felt moved to write an essay, under a pseudonym, warning against his own deification.
From New York Times • Dec. 8, 2021
How far the deification process can go without bringing with it active relations, is well shown in the case of the ‘Father’ of the tribes of South-East Australia.
From The Psychological Origin and the Nature of Religion by Leuba, James H. (James Henry)
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.
