hero worship

¹ American  

noun

1. a profound reverence for great people or their memory.

2. extravagant or excessive admiration for a personal hero.

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hero-worship ² American  

[heer-oh-wur-ship] / ˈhɪər oʊˌwɜr ʃɪp /

verb (used with object)

hero-worshiped, hero-worshiping hero-worshipped, hero-worshipping

1. to feel or express hero worship for.

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hero worship British  

noun

1. admiration for heroes or idealized persons

2. worship by the ancient Greeks and Romans of heroes

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verb

1. (tr) to feel admiration or adulation for

Other Word Forms

• hero-worshiper noun
• hero-worshipper noun

Etymology

Origin of hero worship¹

First recorded in 1765–75

Origin of hero-worship¹

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

Photoshop and AI image generators quickly filled the void this pragmatism had created, creating artificial images of the former president in the harsh glare of police station lighting for schadenfreude and hero worship.

From Washington Post

Perhaps people who we hero worship are not quite as — you know, in every saint, there is a speck of dust and every sinner a spark of gold.

From Salon

Sure, these images are just blatant hero worship.

From New York Times

Liberals have mocked conservatives for years for their hero worship of Trump.

From Salon

“Sidney,” a documentary about the actor and filmmaker Sidney Poitier, who died in January, is a compendium of hero worship.

From New York Times