deify

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

deify — 動詞

  • 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

奉若神明

把人或物視為近乎神聖、無可批評

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.

Buenos Aires 的許多足球迷在 Diego Maradona 退休數十年後，依然把他奉若神明。

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.

Xiu 提醒學生們，不要只因為教授的書得了獎，就盲目崇拜他。

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

封為神

正式將人或自然事物提升至神的地位

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.

羅馬元老院有時會在皇帝死後不久投票將他封為神。

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.

好幾個古文明都選擇將太陽奉為神，並在城裡最高的山丘上蓋神廟祭祀。

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.