deify

[ dee-uh-fahy ]

See synonyms for: deify deifying on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),de·i·fied, de·i·fy·ing.

to make a god of; exalt to the rank of a deity; personify as a deity: to deify a beloved king.
to adore or regard as a deity: to deify wealth.

Origin of deify

1300–50; Middle English deifien<Old French deifier<Late Latin deificāre.See deification, -ify

Other words from deify

de·i·fi·er, noun
half-de·i·fied, adjective
hy·per·de·i·fy, verb (used with object), hy·per·de·i·fied, hy·per·de·i·fy·ing.
self-de·i·fy·ing, adjective
un·de·i·fied, adjective

Words Nearby deify

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use deify in a sentence

A lot of us are so quick to deify Anthony Fauci, to condemn anyone still wearing a mask, to dismiss other people’s choices as inherently harmful, stupid, and, well, evil.
The feud between a weed influencer and scientist over puking stoners | Amanda Chicago Lewis | July 20, 2022 | MIT Technology Review
A movie that deified him AND gave me wacky cartoons was always going to win over my pea-sized brain.
Debating How Space Jam: A New Legacy Stacks Up Against the Original | Cady Lang | July 19, 2021 | Time
To do so is to deify a celebrity for being what we need them to be, while willfully ignoring who they really are.
Phylicia Rashad and the Cult of Cosby Truthers | Stereo Williams | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
This on a continent where most people nearly deify the Clintons, and almost all American presidents.
Hillary's Gutsy Mission | Eliza Griswold | August 7, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST
The latter wished to deify Alexander; but Timaeus exalts Timoleon above the most venerable gods.
The Histories of Polybius, Vol. II (of 2) | Polybius

Not satisfied with three Gods, they must canonize and deify men and make saints and demi-gods.
Abraham Lincoln: Was He A Christian? | John B. Remsburg
It is a ghastly thing to study these religions, and to see what dark and revolting qualities ignorance can deify.
The Spanish Pioneers | Charles F. Lummis
It is not clear, then, how they can 'deify' classes of things, if they have no notion of deity.
Social Origins and Primal Law | Andrew Lang
His choices free or fetter, elevate or debase, deify or demonize his humanity.
Tablets | Amos Bronson Alcott

British Dictionary definitions for deify

deify

/ (ˈdiːɪˌfaɪ, ˈdeɪɪ-) /

verb-fies, -fying or -fied (tr)

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

Origin of deify

C14: from Old French deifier, from Late Latin deificāre, from Latin deus god + facere to make

Derived forms of deify

deifier, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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