lionize

American  

[lahy-uh-nahyz] / ˈlaɪ əˌnaɪz /

especially British, lionise

verb (used with object)

lionized, lionizing

1. to treat (a person) as a celebrity.

   to lionize the visiting poet.

2. British. to visit or exhibit the objects of interest of (a place).

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verb (used without object)

lionized, lionizing

1. to pursue celebrities or seek their company.

2. British. to visit the objects of interest of a place.

lionize British  

/ ˈlaɪəˌnaɪz /

verb

1. (tr) to treat as or make into a celebrity

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Other Word Forms

• lionization
  noun
• lionizer
  noun
• lionized
  adjective
• unlionized
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of lionize

First recorded in 1800–10; lion + -ize ( def. )

Explanation

The lion is often portrayed as the noble king of beasts. As such, to lionize someone is to characterize them as being highly important and distinguished, like a great and honorable leader. In literature and art, the lion is often used as a symbol of pride, strength, courage, and nobility. So when you lionize someone, you attribute to them all those impressive traits. Sports stars and political leaders are often lionized by their supporters. Some people are uncomfortable with being lionized. After rescuing a puppy from a frozen pond, the local teenager who did the good deed might resist people's efforts to lionize him, saying, "I'm no hero! I only did what anybody else would do!"

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lionize lionized lionizing

It's nice for people to support you, don't get me wrong, but we can't lionize people being in prison.

From Salon ● Oct. 24, 2024

There’s also a whole bit in the courtroom of David swatting at a fly as his attorney attempts to lionize him.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2024

They like the stories that either demonize or lionize these people.

From Salon ● Mar. 25, 2023

Teams are insular, us-against-the-world micro-communities, and American culture tends to lionize those who close off the rest of the world, ignore criticism and win anyway.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 12, 2023

The free-handed miners of that town wanted nothing better than somebody or something to lionize.

From The Ifs of History by Chamberlin, Joseph Edgar

As Greenspan left office in 2005, Greenspan was lionized as the “maestro,” or the greatest central banker of the century.

From MarketWatch ● May 10, 2026

MacArthur Park is L.A.’s Gloria Swanson — a place long lionized as a former jewel supposedly ruined by waves of newcomers and apathetic politicians.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 22, 2026

Lutheran pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, murdered by the SS before he could be freed by Allied troops, is lionized in American churches, and his letters from prison became standard reading in Bible studies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2025

At Horatio Alger, he moved into the inner circle, a cluster of extraordinarily wealthy, largely conservative members who lionized him and all that he had achieved.

From New York Times ● Jul. 9, 2023

And though it's clear to anyone with an ounce of logic that they are a pack of charlatans, they're lionized throughout the Empire not just as immortal, but as oracles and mind-readers.

From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir

But much more often, it’s simply a necessity — one that’s erased when lionizing the chill moms and the wild summers.

From Salon ● Jun. 24, 2026

Things get messy when we start lionizing anyone, perhaps especially young men who were just good at playing a child’s game.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2024

Stop lionizing him and his ilk, and instead cover people who are responding productively.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 8, 2022

Already she’s spent many episodes analyzing, and lionizing, the show’s newest cast member.

From New York Times ● Aug. 18, 2021

He did the best he could to escape the lionizing.

From Comrade Yetta by Edwards, Albert

Related Words

• eulogize
• glorify
• idolize