lionize
verb
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Across time and across cultures—as evidenced from Chauvet-Pont d’Arc’s paintings to The Lion King—lions have captured people’s imaginations. Though the big cats themselves are fascinatingly complex, it’s perhaps no surprise that humans have long projected qualities of bravery and regality upon the proverbial “king of the beasts.” It is precisely those and similar admirable qualities that led, in the 18th century, to lion being used for a person who is similarly well-regarded, especially after a long and distinguished career in a particular field, as in “lion of the Senate,” or “literary lion.” This sense of lion imbues the verb lionize, which first appeared in English in the early 19th century to apply to acts of treating someone as, perhaps, deserving of roaring applause.
Examples of lionize in a Sentence
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 1 Nov. 2024
Gale lionized the idea of the county sheriff as a protector of the ordinary citizen who had the power to call up posses or militias to root out communism, fight the desegregation of schools, and remove—or even execute—federal officials.
—David Gilbert, WIRED, 24 Oct. 2024
By the time Honor Killed the Samurai dropped in 2016, Ka was now lionized as a cult favorite by younger rappers like Earl Sweatshirt and MIKE, both of whom considered his later-in-life ascent, especially his focus on craft over output, aspirational.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 14 Oct. 2024
As badly as he had been treated at the end of his life, in death, Greeley was lionized for his accomplishments.
—Greg Daugherty, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for lionize 
Dictionary Entries Near lionize
Cite this Entry
“Lionize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lionize. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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