lionize

verb
UK: /ˈlaɪənaɪz/
US: /ˈlaɪənaɪz/

  1. To treat someone as very important or famous.

    1. The media tends to lionize athletes after big wins.
    2. We shouldn't lionize celebrities without acknowledging their flaws.

  2. To celebrate or give a lot of public attention and approval to (someone); to idolize.

    1. The public will lionize the first person to set foot on Mars.
    2. Some historians unfairly lionize figures who held problematic beliefs.

Synonyms

glorify celebrate revere idolize hero-worship exalt venerate
lionize transitive-verb

  1. To assign great social importance to; to treat as a celebrity.

    1. The film lionized the working class hero.
    2. The book sought to lionize ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "lionize" in English means: To treat someone as very important or famous., To celebrate or give a lot of public attention and approval to (someone); to idolize..

The phonetic transcription of "lionize" is /ˈlaɪənaɪz/ in British English and /ˈlaɪənaɪz/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "lionize": glorify, celebrate, revere, idolize, hero-worship, exalt, venerate.

Example usage of "lionize": "The media tends to lionize athletes after big wins.". More examples on the page.