verb
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to exalt to the position of a god or personify as a god
-
to accord divine honour or worship to
-
to exalt in an extreme way; idealize
Other Word Forms
- deifier noun
- half-deified adjective
- hyperdeify verb (used with object)
- self-deifying adjective
- undeified adjective
Etymology
Origin of deify
1300–50; Middle English deifien < Old French deifier < Late Latin deificāre. See deification, -ify
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.
In a 1942 essay, Hall wrote: “All followers who offer to adorn and deify their teachers set up a false condition. Human beings, experience has proved, make better humans than they do gods.”
From Los Angeles Times
The themes of performances at Mr Gopalakrishnan's house include honouring a deified ancestor, venerating a warrior-hunter deity, and worshipping tiger spirits symbolising strength and protection.
From BBC
There was even a time when even George W. Bush was practically deified.
From Salon
But rather than commune with Marika, his deified mother, Miquella wants to escape the strictures and expectations of her Golden Order.
From New York Times
In a culture that deifies celebrities, Williams remains one whose memory is often invoked with affectionate nostalgia, accompanied by some of his better movie quotes, or from one of his stand-up sets.
From Salon
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.
