cult of personality

American  

noun

1. a cult promoting adulation of a living national leader or public figure, as one encouraged by Stalin to extend his power.

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Etymology

Origin of cult of personality

Probably earlier than 1965–70; translation of Russian kulʾt líchnosti

Example Sentences

Most crucially, Kim Il Sung built up an extraordinary cult of personality around himself that was durable enough to hand down to his son and then his grandson, the current leader Kim Jong Un.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

The Kim family has ruled North Korea with an iron grip for decades, and a cult of personality surrounding their "Paektu bloodline" dominates daily life in the isolated country.

From Barron's • Feb. 26, 2026

That day in Adamsville, it became clear how once a cult of personality is established in America, it can be near impossible to puncture.

From Slate • Nov. 6, 2025

Such utopian — and even messianic — ideologies typically contain a “pseudoreligious quality” that elicit an unwavering passion among their followers, even a cult of personality.

From Salon • Apr. 27, 2025

Although it was unclear if he or his older relatives would wield real power, propagandists worked overtime manufacturing a new cult of personality.

From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden