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Meaning & use

lionize

verb·Advancedformal

Last updated

UK/ˈlaɪənaɪz/
US/ˈlaɪənaɪz/

Meaning

  1. verbtransitive

    To treat someone as a celebrity and give them great public admiration and attention.

    Grammar: Takes a person as the object; often passive: he was lionized.

    Patterns

    • lionize someone
    • be lionized by someone

    The press lionized the young pilot after the rescue.

    Fans lionized the team for decades.

    The author was lionized by society hosts in the capital.

Word forms

third person singularlionizes
past tenselionized
past participlelionized
-ing formlionizing

Common combinations

lionized by the press
She was lionized by the press after her victory.
lionize a hero
Towns often lionize a local hero.
unfairly lionized
He was unfairly lionized despite his small role.
lionize the rich
Some magazines lionize the rich.
once lionized
A once lionized singer faded from view.

Synonyms and how they differ

idolize
Idolize emphasizes worship and loving admiration, often privately, while lionize emphasizes public fuss.
celebrate
Celebrate is neutral and positive, with none of the suggestion that the praise is excessive.
glorify
Glorify can praise something such as war or violence and often carries criticism.
fete
Fete means honor with parties and events, which is a more social, event-focused act.

Opposites

vilifyignore

Word family

lion noun
a big cat, and a literary term for a celebrity
lionization noun
the act of treating as a celebrity
lionise verb
the British spelling
lionlike adjective
resembling a lion

Commonly confused: lionize or idolize?

lionize vs idolize

Idolize is about loving admiration of someone; lionize is about public attention and celebrity.

Practice

After the book became a bestseller, the press began to ___ the author.

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