apotheosis

noun

apo·​the·​o·​sis ə-ˌpä-thē-ˈō-səs  ˌa-pə-ˈthē-ə-səs 

plural apotheoses ə-ˌpä-thē-ˈō-ˌsēz 

ˌa-pə-ˈthē-ə-ˌsēz

1

a

: the perfect form or example of something : quintessence

the apotheosis of Hollywood glamour

… Nelson Rockefeller, the other top contender and the apotheosis of liberal Republicanism.

—Sam Tanenhaus

b

: the highest or best part of something : peak

The city reaches its apotheosis at the holiday …

—David Leavin

2

: elevation to divine status : deification

the apotheosis of Roman emperors

apotheosize

ˌa-pə-ˈthē-ə-ˌsīz 

ə-ˈpä-thē-ə-

transitive verb

Did you know?

Among the ancient Greeks, it was sometimes thought fitting to grant someone "god" status. Hence the word apothéōsis, from the verb apotheóō or apotheoûn, meaning "to deify." (All are rooted in Greek theós, meaning "god," which we can also thank for such religion-related terms as theology and atheism.). There's not a lot of literal apotheosizing to be had in modern English, but apotheosis is thriving in the 21st century. It can refer to the highest or best part of something, as in "the celebration reaches its apotheosis in an elaborate feast," or to a perfect example or ultimate form, as in "a movie that is the apotheosis of the sci-fi genre."

Synonyms

• acme
• beau ideal
• byword
• classic
• epitome
• exemplar
• ideal
• perfection
• quintessence

Examples of apotheosis in a Sentence

the apotheosis of the picaresque novel

Recent Examples on the Web

His career will achieve its apotheosis when he is officially inducted on July 21 in Cooperstown, N.Y. —John Shipley, Twin Cities, 8 June 2024

As Mia, a barista and wannabe actress, Stone portrayed the apotheosis of a striver. —Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2024

America has been and can again be the apotheosis of civilized liberal democracy, but powerful and determined antagonists have pushed its finest values to the sidelines. —Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 9 Jan. 2024

But as the historian Richard Hofstadter noted at the time, the United States has long nurtured a powerful anti-intellectual strain—one that reached an especially vicious apotheosis during the 1950s. —Beverly Gage, Foreign Affairs, 14 Dec. 2021

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Late Latin apotheōsis "transformation into a god, deification," borrowed from Greek apothéōsis, from apotheō-, variant stem of apotheóō, apotheoûn "to transform into a god, deify" (from apo- apo- + theoûn "to make a god of," verbal derivative of theós "god") + -sis -sis — more at theo-

First Known Use

circa 1580, in the meaning defined at sense 2

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