Usage
What does idolatrous mean? Idolatrous is used to describe someone who worships an idol or idols—objects or images, such as statues, that are worshipped as the representations of deities or gods. The word idol can also refer to the deity or god that is being worshipped. An idolatrous person can be called an idolater, and the practice of worshipping idols is called idolatry (or idol worship). Idolatrous can also be used to describe such practices or anything involving idolatry. This sense of idolatrous and its related terms are typically used in a negative, judgmental way, implying that the god that the idolater worships is not actually real and that such worship is wrong or sinful. A well-known example of an idol mentioned in a story in the Bible is the statue of a golden calf that the Israelites were said to have made while Moses was away receiving the Ten Commandments (which prohibit the worship of idols or “graven images”). Sometimes, idol is used in a metaphorical way to compare something to an object of religious devotion and worship, and idolatrous can describe such devotion, as in Her love of money is downright idolatrous. This sense of the word is also used in a critical way. Idol is also commonly used in a figurative way to refer to a person, especially a famous celebrity such as a pop singer, whom someone treats with extreme admiration and devotion. The word sometimes implies that such devotion is excessive, likening it to religious worship. The word idolatrous can be used to describe this kind of fandom, but it is much more commonly used in a religious context. Example: Followers of certain forms of Christianity are sometimes accused of being idolatrous by other Christians, who object to their use of religious iconography.
Other Word Forms
- idolatrously adverb
- idolatrousness noun
- nonidolatrous adjective
- nonidolatrously adverb
- nonidolatrousness noun
- overidolatrous adjective
- overidolatrously adverb
- overidolatrousness noun
- unidolatrous adjective
Etymology
Origin of idolatrous
First recorded in 1540–50; idolatr(y) + -ous
Vocabulary lists containing idolatrous
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.
I have seen at first hand a variety of experiences where workers united in cooperatives and other forms of community organization were able to create work where there were only crumbs of an idolatrous economy.
From Time • Jul. 10, 2015
He authorized an aggressive campaign to purify churches of supposedly idolatrous images and objects.
From New York Times • May 29, 2014
By the time of the English Civil War, church monuments were being smashed as idolatrous; wall paintings were covered with whitewash, brass plaques melted down for profit.
From The Guardian • Jan. 12, 2013
Some Muslims observe the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, while others think the practice idolatrous.
From Slate • Apr. 6, 2012
Miss Nettie, unconscious of this idolatrous adorer’s silent, soul-enraptured worship, gave all her sympathies to the troubles and heart-griefs of the “Two Orphans.”
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.
