Meaning & use
deified
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“deified” is a form of “deify”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitiveformal
Past tense and past participle of deify: made into a god or treated as a god.
Grammar: Takes an object, often in the passive: the emperor was deified after his death.
Patterns
- be deified as something
- deified after death
After his death the emperor was deified by the Roman senate.
Ancient peoples often deified the sun and the rivers.
The king was deified as the son of the sky god.
verbtransitivefigurativedisapproving
Past tense and past participle of deify in a figurative sense: admired so much that the person seems perfect.
Grammar: Takes an object and is often disapproving about the fan's attitude: fans deified the singer.
Patterns
- deify someone
Fans deified the singer long after her best songs were released.
The company founder was deified in the press, and mistakes were forgotten.
Young players sometimes deified veteran stars.
Word forms
| base form | deify |
|---|---|
| third person singular | deifies |
| -ing form | deifying |
Common combinations
- deified emperor
- The deified emperor had temples built in his name.
- was deified
- The founder was deified by his followers.
- deified after death
- Several kings were deified after death.
- deified as a hero
- She was deified as a hero by the press.
Synonyms and how they differ
- worshipped
- Worshipped describes giving religious or intense devotion, whereas deified means actually turning someone into a god.
- idolized
- Idolized means admired too much, and is the usual word for fans, while deified is stronger and more formal.
- venerated
- Venerated means deeply respected, often with ceremony, but does not claim divine status.
- exalted
- Exalted means raised to a high rank or praised greatly, not necessarily made a god.
Opposites
Word family
- deify verb
- to make into or treat as a god
- deification noun
- the act of making someone a god
- deity noun
- a god or goddess
- divine adjective
- relating to a god
Commonly confused: deified or defied?
deified vs defied
Defied is the past of defy, meaning openly refused to obey. It sounds similar but means something quite different.
Practice
After his death the pharaoh was ___ and given a temple.
Choose one answer.
Deified means made into a god, which fits a temple being built for him. Defied means challenged or disobeyed, and does not fit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “deified”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.