canonize

verb

can·​on·​ize ˈka-nə-ˌnīz 

canonized ˈka-nə-ˌnīzd 

in "Hamlet" usually

kə-ˈnä-ˌnīzd  ; canonizing

transitive verb

1

: to declare (a deceased person) an officially recognized saint

2

: to make canonical

3

: to sanction by ecclesiastical authority

4

: to attribute authoritative sanction or approval to

5

: to treat as illustrious, preeminent, or sacred

his mother had canonized all his timidities as common sense

—Scott Fitzgerald

canonization

ˌka-nə-nə-ˈzā-shən 

noun

Synonyms

• adore
• adulate
• deify
• dote (on)
• hero-worship
• idolize
• worship

Examples of canonize in a Sentence

She died 100 years ago and was canonized in Rome last year.

a singing star so canonized by his fans that they refuse to believe anything bad about him

Recent Examples on the Web

Witness By Whittaker Chambers Life So Far, by Betty Friedan Humans have a deep longing to canonize political heroes as saints. —Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2024

Below the surface, these works tackle some of the most important issues in the contemporary art world, namely who get canonized and who doesn’t. —Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 21 Oct. 2024

Despite receiving grants to study in Europe, being inducted into the National Academy of Art in 1969, and being a part of Spiral, he was not canonized in many accounts of postwar American art history. —Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 27 Sep. 2024

Its through her that Schicchi is both most passionately critiqued and canonized. —Leila Latif, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Medieval Latin canonizare, from Late Latin canon catalog of saints, from Latin, standard

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

canonize

verb

can·​on·​ize ˈkan-ə-ˌnīz 

canonized; canonizing

1

: to declare to be a saint and worthy of public respect

2

: to treat something as if it were sacred

canonization

ˌkan-ə-nə-ˈzā-shən

noun