Meaning & use
lionises
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“lionises” is a form of “lionise”.
Meaning
verbtransitive
Treats someone as a famous or important person, giving them a lot of public attention and praise.
Grammar: Takes an object: lionises a writer. Often used in the passive: the writer was lionised by critics.
Patterns
- lionise someone
- be lionised by someone
- lionise someone as something
The media lionises young athletes, then often forgets them when they lose.
She was lionised by the art world after her first exhibition.
He lionises his grandfather as a war hero.
Word forms
| base form | lionise |
|---|---|
| past tense | lionised |
| past participle | lionised |
| -ing form | lionising |
| American spelling | lionize |
Common combinations
- lionise a celebrity
- The press tends to lionise a celebrity until a scandal breaks.
- be lionised by the public
- The scientist was lionised by the public after her discovery.
- lionise someone as a hero
- They lionised him as a hero, though he denied it.
Synonyms and how they differ
- celebrate
- This is a general word for praising someone publicly; lionise is stronger and suggests treating someone like a superstar.
- idolize
- Idolize means to admire someone excessively, often blindly; lionise focuses more on public praise and attention.
- fete
- Fete means to honor someone with a party or celebration; lionise is about giving them fame and admiration.
Opposites
Word family
- lionisation noun
- The act of treating someone as a celebrity.
- lioniser noun
- A person who lionises others.
Commonly confused: lionises or lionize?
lionises vs lionize
This is the American spelling of the same word; lionise is the British spelling. Both mean the same thing.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose one answer.
'Lionise' is a transitive verb, so it takes a direct object: 'lionises the young singer'. It is not followed by 'to' or 'by' in this active structure.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “lionises”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.