personality cult
noun
: a situation in which a public figure (such as a political leader) is deliberately presented to the people of a country as a great person who should be admired and loved
Examples of personality cult in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
North Korea's Kim Jong Un maintains an iron grip through the threat and reality of labor camps and murder along with a fanatical propaganda personality cult.
—
Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
Even within China, many Chinese citizens are dubious of the CCP’s heavy-handed nationalist propaganda and the personality cult growing around Xi.
—Jessica Chen Weiss, Foreign Affairs, 11 June 2019
So is the Man United job really just a personality cult?
—Charlotte Harpur, The Athletic, 23 Dec. 2024
His regime redefined Alawite identity to revolve around Assad’s personality cult.
—Sefa Secen / Made By History, TIME, 17 Dec. 2024
But the board ought to make sure its celebrity CEO is boosting the brand and the share price — not his personality cult.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2024
This has led to a personality cult of the individual creative genius who holds exclusive ownership to some magical artistic impulse.
—Charlie Engman, ARTnews.com, 20 Sep. 2024
One party has turned into a personality cult around a criminal candidate.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2024
Surviving multiple early attempts on their lives can boost a political leader’s personality cult and claims of invincibility.
—Ruth Ben-Ghiat, The Conversation, 25 July 2024
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
Even within China, many Chinese citizens are dubious of the CCP’s heavy-handed nationalist propaganda and the personality cult growing around Xi.
—Jessica Chen Weiss, Foreign Affairs, 11 June 2019
So is the Man United job really just a personality cult?
—Charlotte Harpur, The Athletic, 23 Dec. 2024
His regime redefined Alawite identity to revolve around Assad’s personality cult.
—Sefa Secen / Made By History, TIME, 17 Dec. 2024
But the board ought to make sure its celebrity CEO is boosting the brand and the share price — not his personality cult.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2024
This has led to a personality cult of the individual creative genius who holds exclusive ownership to some magical artistic impulse.
—Charlie Engman, ARTnews.com, 20 Sep. 2024
One party has turned into a personality cult around a criminal candidate.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2024
Surviving multiple early attempts on their lives can boost a political leader’s personality cult and claims of invincibility.
—Ruth Ben-Ghiat, The Conversation, 25 July 2024
Dictionary Entries Near personality cult
Cite this Entry
“Personality cult.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/personality%20cult. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share