hagiography

noun

ha·​gi·​og·​ra·​phy ˌha-gē-ˈä-grə-fē 

ˌhā-,

-jē-

1

: biography of saints or venerated persons

2

: idealizing or idolizing biography

an account that smacks of hagiography

Did you know?

Like biography and autograph, the word hagiography has to do with the written word. The combining form -graphy comes from Greek graphein, meaning "to write." Hagio- comes from a Greek word that means "saintly" or "holy." This origin is seen in Hagiographa, the Greek designation of the Ketuvim, the third part of the Jewish Scriptures. English's hagiography, though it can refer to biography of actual saints, is these days more often applied to biography that treats ordinary human subjects as if they were saints.

Examples of hagiography in a Sentence

a hagiography about a famous politician

The book gives a good idea of his virtues without resorting to hagiography.

Recent Examples on the Web

But Francis of Assisi does have double vision, maneuvering constantly between hagiography and history, legend and fact, heaven and Earth, miracles and—what’s the opposite of miracles? —James Parker, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2025

Neither hagiography nor hatchet job, the movie casts an understanding eye on a once-infamous musical artist who weathered dizzying highs and devastating lows. —Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times, 25 Dec. 2024

The result is not hagiography, but a revealing glimpse inside the too-brief life of an artist as tormented as he was talented. —Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times, 26 Dec. 2024

Rivers is too complicated a personality for hagiography. —Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

see Hagiographa

First Known Use

1821, in the meaning defined at sense 1