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personality cult

British  

noun

  1. deliberately cultivated adulation of a person, esp a political leader

"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

Example Sentences

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Their valuations are reasonable, with the exception of Tesla, which is no longer a stock but a personality cult or a lottery ticket trading at probably six times an aggressive sum-of-the-parts analysis.

From Barron's • Jan. 9, 2026

James is younger and gentler, horrified by the thought of joining his father’s personality cult but lacking other prospects.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 17, 2025

It is difficult to imagine most of them as objects of a personality cult.

From Salon • Jun. 22, 2025

In a memoir published this year, Mr Tae wrote about the excesses of the North Korean elite and the depths of the personality cult built around the Kims.

From BBC • Jul. 18, 2024

It did foster and encourage a personality cult, akin to the "Fuhrerprinzip" -but it derived its legitimacy, conservatively, from the Church and from the electorate.

From Russian Roulette: Russia's Economy in Putin's Era by Vaknin, Samuel