deify

/ˈdeɪɪfaɪ/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈdeɪɪfaɪ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈdē-ə-ˌfī ˈdā-/ (ame, mw)

deify — verb

  • deify,,present simple I / you / we / they
  • deifypresent simple I / you / we / they
  • deifies,,he / she / it
  • deifieshe / she / it
  • deified,,past simple
  • deifiedpast simple
  • deifying,,-ing form
  • deifying-ing form

1. to admire a person or thing so deeply that you treat them with the kind of devot

1.動詞及物C2
釋義

to admire a person or thing so deeply that you treat them with the kind of devotion usually reserved for a god — for example, hanging their photograph on the wall or refusing to hear any criticism.

例句

Many football fans in Buenos Aires still deify Diego Maradona decades after his retirement.

deify + named famous person; common with sports / cultural icons

Xiu warned the students not to deify their professor just because his book had won an award.

warning frame: 'not to deify' for guarding against hero-worship

同義詞
  • idolize

    more everyday register; less suggestive of religious overtones

  • worship

    stronger and broader; can also describe literal religious devotion

  • lionize

    specifically about public praise and celebration, often in the press

  • venerate

    formal; emphasises respect rather than excited admiration

反義詞
  • vilify

    to speak about someone with the opposite extreme — as if they were evil

  • demonize

    to portray someone as wicked or dangerous

文法句型

deify + somebody/something

用法筆記

Frequently followed by a named famous person (artist, athlete, leader). Distinguish from sense 2: this sense is about excessive admiration of someone who is clearly human; sense 2 is the literal religious act of turning a being into a deity.

常見錯誤

❌I really deify chocolate cake.
✅I love chocolate cake.
💡'deify' is reserved for treating a person or institution as godlike, not for casual fondness for everyday things.
❌The fans deified to the singer.
✅The fans deified the singer.
💡'deify' is transitive; never insert 'to' before the object.

2. to officially raise a person, ruler, or natural force to the status of a god wit

2.動詞及物C2
釋義

to officially raise a person, ruler, or natural force to the status of a god within a religion — for example, declaring a dead emperor divine, or treating thunder as a deity to be worshipped.

例句

Roman senators sometimes voted to deify an emperor shortly after his death.

historical / religious context; common past-tense passive: 'was deified'

Several ancient cultures chose to deify the sun, building temples on the highest hill in the city.

inanimate object (sun / river / mountain) as the thing deified

同義詞
  • apotheosize

    very formal; the technical Greek-derived term for the same religious act

  • consecrate

    broader — to dedicate something to religious purpose, not necessarily to make it a god

  • enshrine

    to place something in a sacred or protected position; less literal than 'deify'

反義詞
  • secularize

    to strip something of its religious or sacred status

文法句型

deify + somebody/something

用法筆記

Often passive ('was deified', 'were deified by'). Object is usually a deceased ruler, natural force, or animal — almost never a living everyday person. Distinguish from sense 1: this is the literal religious-historical act of conferring divinity; sense 1 is figurative excessive admiration.

常見錯誤

❌The villagers deified to their ancestor.
✅The villagers deified their ancestor.
💡'deify' is transitive; the object follows the verb directly.
❌The dead king was deified as a god.
✅The dead king was deified.
💡'as a god' is redundant; deification already means raising to godhood.