1
as in to adore
to love or admire too much
people who hero-worship celebrities are setting themselves up for disappointment
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to overpraise
to praise too much
a golfing pro who is hero-worshipped by hordes of weekend duffers
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in worship
excessive admiration of or devotion to a person
once the object of uncritical hero worship, the aging quarterback now faces the derision of his team's fickle fans
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of hero-worship
Guy Lodge, Variety, 28 Sep. 2024
There’s a pleasing economy to that set-up, establishing the family dynamic of a man ruled by a monomaniacal focus, a stoical woman who keeps her distance from his professional pursuits, and hero-worshipping sons who seem a safe bet to try to emulate their dad in the ring.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Sophie Pinkham, The New York Review of Books, 14 Mar. 2024
No one on the team knows about Sir and everyone on that team has a little hero worship where Gabi is concerned.
—Alamin Yohannes, EW.com, 4 Oct. 2023
See all Example Sentences for hero-worship 
Verb
The film’s gaze is arguably as mocking as it is dazzled — with the macho posturing and hero-worship of Roca Rey a tacit source of comedy — while Serra, living up to his reputation for challenging arthouse fare, doesn’t flinch in his presentation of animal abuse and suffering.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 28 Sep. 2024
There’s a pleasing economy to that set-up, establishing the family dynamic of a man ruled by a monomaniacal focus, a stoical woman who keeps her distance from his professional pursuits, and hero-worshipping sons who seem a safe bet to try to emulate their dad in the ring.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Noun
In the translator Jennifer Croft’s first novel, a band of translators from around the world navigates romantic entanglements and their hero worship of an elusive Polish author.
—Sophie Pinkham, The New York Review of Books, 14 Mar. 2024
No one on the team knows about Sir and everyone on that team has a little hero worship where Gabi is concerned.
—Alamin Yohannes, EW.com, 4 Oct. 2023
See all Example Sentences for hero-worship
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hero-worship
Verb
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The game was adored by critics and fans, who praised its unique painterly art style and innovative action gameplay, but unfortunately sold quite poorly initially.Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 13 Dec. 2024
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The hottest beverage trend right now is completely booze-free and adored by the Latter-day Saint community: dirty soda.Karri Peifer, Axios, 10 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Know-nothings pretend that Schrader’s Bressonian mannerisms reveal the spiritual depths of contemporary crisis, when, in fact, Master Gardener repeats the same social-collapse paranoia that made secular reviewers overpraise the religious, racial, suicide-bomber topics of First Reformed.Armond White, National Review, 24 May 2023
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He’s overpraised of course.Nick Laird, The New York Review of Books, 16 Mar. 2023
Noun
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The Sunday Masses underscore Notre Dame's dual role as a place of worship and a symbol of communal resilience.THOMAS ADAMSON AND SYLVIE CORBET THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, arkansasonline.com, 9 Dec. 2024
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For the first time since a blaze engulfed it in 2019, the towering Gothic masterpiece reopened for worship.Thomas Adamson and John Leicester, Los Angeles Times, 7 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Megyn Kelly didn't like what Caitlin Clark had to say about her own experience of white privilege in the WNBA, and Clark has already responded to Kelly's disapproval.Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 13 Dec. 2024
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Anxious dogs that like to obsessively lick, dig or sniff might also like pad toys.Claire Thornton, USA TODAY, 13 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Tech billionaire Elon Musk and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk targeted Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., who praised sitting FBI Director Christopher Wray, who resigned last week.Riley Beggin, USA TODAY, 16 Dec. 2024
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In 2024, culture is boring and stale due to the algorithms calling the shots on what gets produced and praised—or so the critics say.T.M. Brown, The Atlantic, 16 Dec. 2024
Noun
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It’s been a game changer in my household where, tragically, my partner doesn’t share my adoration of Champagne and other fizz.Anna Lee Iijima, Chicago Tribune, 11 Dec. 2024
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Her family, including two brothers, were connected through their adoration for movies and music.Gary Baum, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The bank robber and murderer Charles Arthur (Pretty Boy) Floyd, whose crimes spanned Ohio, Oklahoma, and Missouri during the Great Depression, idolized James as a Wild West spin on Robin Hood.Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 13 Dec. 2024
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The monarch butterfly, long idolized for its epic migrations and delicate beauty, is facing another alarming chapter in its decline.Brandi D. Addison, Austin American-Statesman, 10 Dec. 2024
Verb
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To seal the night, a sky-high Principessa cake illuminated with sparklers made the rounds, as revelers congratulated the brand’s team and soaked in the festive atmosphere.Vogue, Vogue, 5 Dec. 2024
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In response, the city's official Facebook page posted a statement congratulating Vance on Wednesday.Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 5 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near hero-worship
Cite this Entry
“Hero-worship.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hero-worship. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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