lionize
verb
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Across time and across cultures—as evidenced from Chauvet-Pont d’Arc’s paintings to The Lion King—lions have captured people’s imaginations. Though the big cats themselves are fascinatingly complex, it’s perhaps no surprise that humans have long projected qualities of bravery and regality upon the proverbial “king of the beasts.” It is precisely those and similar admirable qualities that led, in the 18th century, to lion being used for a person who is similarly well-regarded, especially after a long and distinguished career in a particular field, as in “lion of the Senate,” or “literary lion.” This sense of lion imbues the verb lionize, which first appeared in English in the early 19th century to apply to acts of treating someone as, perhaps, deserving of roaring applause.
Examples of lionize in a Sentence
Robert Legvold, Foreign Affairs, 9 Dec. 2016
His role in the impeachment lionized him among fellow Democrats, demonized him among Republicans and seeded his campaign for the Senate.
—Laura J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2024
Green leaders already lionized Recent research, especially by documentary maker Karen Kocher, has shown that Austin champions of green spaces go back further than the 1970s, when environmental activism became a core part of the city's identity.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American-Statesman, 22 July 2024
But the Israeli public was quick to lionize his performance in the 1973 war, during which he was credited with creative maneuvers that defeated Egypt's Second and Third Armies on the crucial southern front.
—Hussein Ibish, Foreign Affairs, 11 Jan. 2014
See all Example Sentences for lionize 
Dictionary Entries Near lionize
Cite this Entry
“Lionize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lionize. Accessed 17 Dec. 2024.
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