Meaning & use
glorified
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a noundisapproving
Described as better or grander than it really is, being in fact quite ordinary.
Grammar: Comes before a noun and is used as mild mockery: a glorified secretary.
Patterns
- a glorified something
His title was fancy, but he was really a glorified clerk.
The so-called suite was a glorified closet.
Critics called the app a glorified calculator.
verbtransitive
Made something seem better, more admirable, or more exciting than it is.
Grammar: Past tense and past participle of glorify: the film glorified war.
Patterns
- glorified something
The film glorified violence instead of showing its cost.
Some songs glorified the outlaw's life.
The article glorified the era and ignored its problems.
verbtransitivereligionformal
Praised and honored God or a person.
Grammar: Formal and religious: God was glorified.
Patterns
- glorified someone for something
The choir glorified God with hymns.
She was glorified as a saint after her death.
Villagers glorified the hero in song.
Common combinations
- glorified assistant
- He felt like a glorified assistant.
- glorified babysitter
- The job felt like a glorified babysitter's.
- glorified version
- The brochure is a glorified version of the website.
- glorified war
- The film glorified war.
- glorified in song
- The hero was glorified in song.
Synonyms and how they differ
- overrated
- Overrated says something is valued more than it deserves, whereas glorified suggests it's an ordinary thing with an impressive label.
- exalted
- Exalted suggests sincere high praise, so it does not carry the mocking tone of glorified.
- romanticized
- Romanticized means made to seem more attractive by ignoring problems, which fits the verb sense of glorified.
- inflated
- Inflated stresses that size or importance was exaggerated.
Opposites
Word family
- glorify verb
- to make seem better, or to praise
- glory noun
- great honor or praise
- glorious adjective
- wonderful or deserving great honor
- glorification noun
- the act of making something seem better than it is
Commonly confused: glorified or glorious?
glorified vs glorious
Glorious means wonderful or full of glory, and is a compliment. Glorified in the adjective sense is a mild criticism.
Practice
A desk worker who just answers phones but has a grand job title could be called a ____ receptionist.
Choose one answer.
Glorified means described as more important than it is. Glorious would be a compliment and does not fit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “glorified”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.