deification

/ˌdiəfəˈkeɪʃən/
IPA guide

Other forms: deifications

Deification is when a person is treated like a god. If you love your basketball coach so much that you build her an altar and bow whenever she walks by, that’s deification. And a little weird.

This word is a variation of deify which means to treat someone like a deity (a god). Deification is treating a mere mortal as someone godly. Often, this word is used negatively. For example, enthusiastic fans of someone could be accused of deification by non-fans. Someone must be considered extremely impressive to be the object of deification. This word is related to Latin deus (god).

Definitions of deification
  1. noun
    the elevation of a person (as to the status of a god)
    synonyms: apotheosis, exaltation
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    type of:
    worship
    the activity of worshipping
  2. noun
    an embodiment of the qualities of a god
    “the capitalists' deification of capital”
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    type of:
    avatar, embodiment, incarnation
    a new personification of a familiar idea
  3. noun
    the condition of being treated like a god
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    type of:
    condition, status
    a state at a particular time
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Word Family

Vocabulary lists containing deification

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The Souls of Black Folk
W.E.B. Du Bois

W.E.B. Du Bois explores the struggles and triumphs of generations of African Americans in this collection of essays.

"Reality Check," Vocabulary from the short story

Ever have a sense of deja vu? David Brin's short story investigates the possibility that our lives are virtual simulations that we live through again and again. Make sure to check out these lists for texts in Grade 11's Collection 6: Winter Dreams, poems of the Harlem Renaissance, poems by Robert Frost, The Crucible, Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, The Coming Merging of Mind and Machine, Reality Check, The Ends of the World as We Know Them, The Universe as Primal Scream

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The Island of Doctor Moreau
H.G. Wells

In this science fiction classic, a shipwrecked sailor lands on island where a mad scientist performs unthinkable experiments.

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