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lionize

[lahy-uh-nahyz]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR lionize ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), li·on·ized, li·on·iz·ing.

to treat (a person) as a celebrity: to lionize the visiting poet.
British. to visit or exhibit the objects of interest of (a place).

verb (used without object), li·on·ized, li·on·iz·ing.

to pursue celebrities or seek their company.
British. to visit the objects of interest of a place.

RELATED WORDS

eulogize, glorify, idolize, acclaim, immortalize, worship, exalt, adulate, praise, honor, aggrandize, hero-worship

Nearby words

  1. lioness,
  2. lionet,
  3. lionfish,
  4. lionheart,
  5. lionhearted,
  6. lionly,
  7. lions,
  8. lions club,
  9. liouville,
  10. liouville's theorem
Also especially British, li·on·ise.

Origin of lionize

First recorded in 1800–10; lion + -ize
Related formsli·on·i·za·tion, nounli·on·iz·er, nounun·li·on·ized, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for lionize

British Dictionary definitions for lionize

lionize

lionise

verb

(tr) to treat as or make into a celebrity
Derived Formslionization or lionisation, nounlionizer or lioniser, 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
Word Origin and History for lionize

lionize

v.

"to treat (someone) as a celebrity," a hybrid from lion + -ize. Used by Scott, 1809, and preserving lion in the sense of "person of note who is much sought-after" (1715), originally in reference to the lions formerly kept in the Tower of London (referred to from late 16c.), objects of general curiosity that every visitor in town was taken to see. Related: Lionized; lionizing.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper