lionize

verb

Definition of lionizenext
as in to honor
to treat (someone) as a very important and famous person She was lionized everywhere after her novel won the Pulitzer Prize.

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of lionize Star hosts like Sean Hannity and Jesse Watters can be expected to lionize Mr. Trump and the Fox alumni joining him in Washington. — Michael M. Grynbaum, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2025 During the era of hip-hop and Hollywood’s new black intellectual properties (Eddie Murphy, Prince, Spike Lee, et al.), Wilson was lionized as American theater’s foremost black playwright. — Armond White, National Review, 27 Dec. 2024 Rather than simplistically lionizing the frikis, the directors honor their plight by portraying them as an example of how the human spirit perseveres even when nearly crushed. — Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 20 Dec. 2024 Many shared their frustration with UnitedHealthcare's practices, and Thompson's death was met with cheers or indifference by some who lionized the gunman as a folk hero. — Tim Ryan, Newsweek, 17 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for lionize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lionize
  1. honor
  2. admire
  3. revere
  4. venerate
  5. exalt
  6. respect
  7. praise
  8. worship
Verb
  • Now the storied pharmacist and retailer won’t honor that milestone, because it no longer will be publicly owned.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 7 Mar. 2025
  • And having young people celebrate 100 days of school by honoring our elders can be a great thing.
    — Kelly Papa, Hartford Courant, 7 Mar. 2025
Definition of honor
Verb
  • Tourists will still come by the thousands to admire the monuments, even if some of the big stone buildings turn vacant, like the ruins of the Roman Forum.
    — Alec MacGillis, ProPublica, 13 Mar. 2025
  • Jay O’Brien, a real estate broker in Liberty, was a technology fan of Elon Musk’s years before the world’s richest man turned Twitter into X, and under President Donald Trump, became both the reviled and admired federal-program-slashing leader of the Department of Government Efficiency, DOGE.
    — Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 13 Mar. 2025
Definition of admire
Verb
  • During the initial phase of the COVID-19 lockdown, teachers were revered and thanked for their service.
    — Gravity Goldberg, The Conversation, 10 Mar. 2025
  • Bob Dylan's First Demo Tape - Original Master Recording Hits the Auction Block Watch on Not long after Dylan arrived in New York in January 1961, Thal met the young musician through her husband, Dave Van Ronk, a folk singer Dylan revered.
    — Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Mar. 2025
Definition of revere
Verb
  • Also, a subculture referred to as Saints Culture, which venerates mass killers as almost superhuman figures, frames high-casualty attacks as the ultimate and only legacy worth emulating.
    — Odette Yousef, NPR, 8 Mar. 2025
  • Aquinas adds – and to me this is one of the most beautiful aspects of his reflections on relics – that venerating a relic is also a way of looking forward to the future resurrection of the body.
    — Therese Cory, The Conversation, 28 Jan. 2025
Definition of venerate
Verb
  • With black fingernails and facial scruff in his debut years, Demna was seen as a ringleader for all things underground and alternative, exalting the grittier elements of Paris in his collections, along with jolts of S&M and punk, seen in kinky face hoods and spiky sunglasses.
    — Miles Socha, WWD, 13 Mar. 2025
  • So, here's to August Wilson, who exhumed and exalted the ordinary people.
    — Lydia Price, People.com, 2 Mar. 2025
Definition of exalt
Verb
  • To proactively give up, to consistently surrender one’s cards, is not to respect the game.
    — Harvey Young, Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2025
  • University World News highlights the need for universities to ensure that their cross-border programs maintain high educational standards, all while respecting and adapting to the local cultural and academic context.
    — Maja Zelihic, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025
Definition of respect
Verb
  • Goswami praised her collaborators but also thanked the AFA academy — and herself.
    — Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Mar. 2025
  • Fans have praised the bout and the performance of both guys as Strickland became the new #1 contender for the World Title.
    — Mark Davis, Newsweek, 15 Mar. 2025
Definition of praise
Verb
  • The Dolls worshipped tough New York pop queens like the Ronettes and the Shangri-Las, cosplaying as bad girls and teetering on their high heels.
    — Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 1 Mar. 2025
  • The small congregation has worshipped online since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and has been trying to get help to fix the roof so members could return to the building.
    — Deborah Barfield Berry, USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2025
Definition of worship

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“Lionize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lionize. Accessed 21 Mar. 2025.

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Nglish: Translation of lionize for Spanish Speakers

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