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
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 
Dictionary Entries Near lionize
Cite this Entry
“Lionize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lionize. Accessed 6 Feb. 2025.
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