idolize
Americanverb (used with object)
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idolizes,
present (3rd person singular)
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idolized,
past participle, past
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idolizing
present participle
verb (used without object)
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idolizes,
present (3rd person singular)
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idolized,
past participle, past
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idolizing
present participle
verb
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(tr) to admire or revere greatly
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(tr) to worship as an idol
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(intr) to worship idols
Usage
What does idolize mean? To idolize someone is to treat them with extreme admiration and devotion. This sense of the word is based on the figurative use of the word idol to refer to a person, especially a famous celebrity such as a pop singer, whose fans are extremely devoted to them. The noun form idolization refers to this kind of hero worship. A synonym of this sense of idolize is the slang verb stan. The words idol and idolize sometimes imply that such devotion is excessive, likening it to religious worship. This is based on the original sense of the word idol referring to an object or image, such as a statue, that is worshiped as the representation of a deity or god. The word idol can also refer to the deity or god that is being worshiped. The worship of such an idol is sometimes called idolatry (or idol worship) and the people who do it can be called idolaters. The word idolize can also mean to practice idolatry, though it is much more commonly used in a figurative way. A synonym of this sense of idolize is idolatrize, but it is not commonly used. In a religious context, words like idol and idolize are typically used in a negative, judgmental way, implying that the god that the idol represents is not actually real and that such worship is wrong or sinful. Sometimes, idol is used in a metaphorical way to compare something to an object of religious devotion and worship, and idolize can also be used in this context, as in She idolizes money. This sense of the word is also used in a critical way. A close synonym of all senses of the word idolize is worship. Example: The trouble with idolizing people is that you start to model your behavior on them while ignoring their faults.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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idolismnoun
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idolistnoun
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idolizationnoun
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idolizernoun
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self-idolizedadjective
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self-idolizingadjective
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unidolizedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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idolizesimple
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idolizessimple
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have idolizedperfect
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has idolizedperfect
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am idolizingprogressive
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are idolizingprogressive
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is idolizingprogressive
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have been idolizingperfect progressive
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has been idolizingperfect progressive
Past
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idolizedsimple
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had idolizedperfect
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was idolizingprogressive
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were idolizingprogressive
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had been idolizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of idolize
Explanation
To idolize is to admire someone too much. A twelve year-old might idolize a pop star, for example, wallpapering her bedroom with photos of him and screaming loudly throughout his concerts. You can idolize someone you've never met, like a famous actor, and you can also idolize a friend or family member. A boy who idolizes his father adores him unquestioningly, believing that everything he does is admirable. Another way to say idolize is worship, and both words have a religious origin. In the case of idolize, the root word is idol, or "image of a god used in worship," from the Late Latin word idolum, "image or form."
Vocabulary lists containing idolize
The Outsiders
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"A Village After Dark" by Kazuo Ishiguro
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Novel Study: The Outsiders, Chapters 6–12
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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.
See Examples For:
"I needed to take her from on high and put her on the ground because you can't play someone you idolize."
From Salon ● May 9, 2025
France seemed to idolize Leasure, but he also claimed to be terrified of him.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2024
It’s not unusual for Americans to idolize presidents—Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama are still actively revered by many—but no other president has inspired the same level of merchandise lines or themed car flags.
From Slate ● Nov. 27, 2023
Not being able to live the idealized versions of herself—which include visions of being surrounded by friends and fans who love and idolize her for her beauty and talent—leaves Tessa profoundly distressed.
From Scientific American ● Aug. 16, 2023
“It’s time you learned, Eugenia, how things really are. You idolize Constantine too much. You always have.”
From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett
His cross-country supremacy has made him one of the most famous and beloved athletes in a country that idolizes the stars of winter sports.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 10, 2026
Wales wing Louis Rees Zammit provided the strangest tale of the weekend after revealing he idolizes soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo and even dresses like him, down to wearing Ronaldo’s branded underwear.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 18, 2023
“Sam idolizes the climbing community, so it’s disappointing that a small portion is diminishing his accomplishment over a word choice,” he wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2022
Kanye, perhaps emboldened by his wife’s successful efforts to pardon prisoners under the former president, is trying to repeat this success with Hoover, whom he idolizes for his community service.
From Slate ● Dec. 9, 2021
He idolizes you ... and he idolized you at that time....”
From The Later Life by Louis Couperus
Like many schoolboys, I idolized Indiana Jones and James Bond for all the usual reasons, not least their double lives.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 2026
Adam Lankford, a criminologist at the University of Alabama who has studied the global proliferation of mass shootings, said the internet gives broad access to online communities where mass shooters are idolized.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2026
John Lennon, in particular, idolized Dylan, whose performance style resonates across such early Beatles tracks as “I’m a Loser” and “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away.”
From Salon ● Apr. 17, 2026
Yet Norris, who idolized John Wayne as a child, became an actor as an afterthought.
From Barron's ● Mar. 20, 2026
“The clue says Coach Washington idolized a team in a sport other than tennis.”
From "The Parker Inheritance" by Varian Johnson
That has helped shift the landscape of the “collector” scene beyond the baby boomers to what Gen Xers and millennials grew up idolizing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
That was before he stood on a balcony in Wales, 15 years ago, and looked below to a mass of idolizing golf fans, begging to be sprayed with champagne.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2025
John speaks about being fascinated by the piano for as long as he can remember, watching and idolizing English pianist Winifred Atwell when she would play on television.
From Salon ● Dec. 19, 2024
But that hasn’t stopped South Korean baseball fans from idolizing a fellow East Asian player whose achievements are so rare they nearly defy imagination.
From New York Times ● Mar. 19, 2024
Siobhan’s father loved tennis, but he grew up idolizing a team in another sport.
From "The Parker Inheritance" by Varian Johnson
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.
