lionizes

verb

present tense third-person singular of lionize
as in admires
to treat (someone) as a very important and famous person She was lionized everywhere after her novel won the Pulitzer Prize.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of lionizes Weberman’s early release would place him back into a community that not only protects, but lionizes him. — Guila Benchimol, New York Daily News, 26 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lionizes
  1. admires
  2. honors
  3. venerates
  4. reveres
  5. respects
  6. exalts
  7. praises
  8. dignifies
Verb
  • Bucci admires the modern show’s scale, organization and ambition, describing it as a festival of show jumping, with world-class facilities, footing, hospitality and stabling.
    — Gemma Redrup, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The backstory Once upon a time, there was a Spanish family blessed with a talent for finding historic buildings and transforming them into hotels that anyone who admires beauty and nature would want to visit.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of admires
Verb
  • The money will flow to a charity called the Love Like Adam Foundation that honors a childhood friend Coker lost to hazing in 2021.
    — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The bipartisan measure honors Jackie and proclaims that Friday September 4, 2026 is California Wildlife Day to honor her memory and celebrate the Golden State’s biodiversity.
    — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of honors
Verb
  • Kin Coedel collaborated with Meti and Hijra women in Nepal in the creation of Between Reverence and Refusal, giving them recognition and exposing the paradox of a culture that venerates femininity in myth but doesn’t acknowledge those who embody it in everyday life.
    — Vogue, Vogue, 1 June 2026
  • Redemptive suffering Shared sorrow is a key part of Iran’s Twelver Shiite identity, which venerates the Prophet Muhammad’s family through daughter Fatima and cousin and son-in-law, Ali.
    — Mary Thurlkill, The Conversation, 30 Mar. 2026
Definition of venerates
Verb
  • While Western climbers regard Everest as a peak to be conquered, Tenzing reveres it as a sacred mother goddess.
    — Diana Lodderhose, Deadline, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Harbaugh reveres the Giants and their ownership and their brand for their tradition and their landmark status in the NFL, dating back to their founding in 1925.
    — Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 25 July 2026
Definition of reveres
Verb
  • Jon Sasser, a spokesperson for Westlake, said the town respects the court’s decision to take more time to consider the matters presented at Wednesday’s hearing.
    — Fousia Abdullahi, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The underlying and often reiterated vibe is that this dude respects women and works out.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of respects
Verb
  • At a time when our right to protest is under siege, this sci-fi yarn exalts the way an individual’s conviction can plant seeds of change, leading to a stronger sense of community.
    — Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
  • Boyes, too, exalts the elephants like a man possessed.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 27 Feb. 2026
Definition of exalts
Verb
  • Later, after clearing the Silo 1 control room, Victor both chastises Camille for her failures and grudgingly praises her for lying so convincingly that his biometric lie detectors couldn’t detect it.
    — Noel Murray, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Scorsese, who directed the book’s film adaptation Hugo, also praises the novel for its innovation.
    — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of praises
Verb
  • The recognizing states will have to step up, too, by making their security guarantees concrete and by helping shape a Palestinian state that does not threaten its neighbors and dignifies its people by providing functioning institutions and proper services.
    — SHIRA EFRON, Foreign Affairs, 23 Sep. 2025
Definition of dignifies

Browse Nearby Words

lionized
lionizes
lionizing
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lionizes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lionizes. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All