What does bardolatrous mean?
Bardolatrous is a rare adjective meaning excessively or uncritically fond of poets and poetry. It describes an attitude rather than a simple enthusiasm: the devotion implied by the word is strong enough to be treated as a weakness, excess, or object of ridicule. A bardolatrous admirer might prize every effort by a minor versifier while ignoring the wider literary tradition around that writer. The term belongs to the same learned family as bardolatry, the excessive worship of poets, and bardolater, a person marked by that enthusiasm. Because it is uncommon and somewhat literary in flavor, bardolatrous is most likely to appear in criticism, satire, or deliberately uncommon prose. It is useful when precision matters: poet-lover can suggest affectionate enthusiasm, whereas bardolatrous explicitly conveys overindulgence and a possible failure of judgment. The word ultimately joins the traditional bard with a learned vocabulary of worship, making it a vivid label for treating poetry as an object of devotion.
adjectiveExcessively or uncritically fond of poets and poetry; characterized by an extravagant devotion to verse.
- Excessively or uncritically fond of poets and poetry.
"His bardolatrous enthusiasm for every minor poet left no room for the work of his more celebrated contemporaries."
"The critic dismissed the bardolatrous praise given to the poet's first collection."
"Her bardolatrous enthusiasm for nineteenth-century verse shaped the way she edited the archive."
If an admirer loves poetry, a bardolatrous admirer treats poetry like a religion.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does bardolatrous come from?
The word belongs to the English family formed on bard and the learned element -olatry, associated with Greek latreia, meaning service or worship. English developed bardolatry for excessive devotion to poets and bardolatrous for the corresponding quality. The parallel forms poetolatry and poetolatrous show that the same construction could be applied to poets generally.
Related word forms
How bardolatrous is actually used
This is a rare, literary, and usually pejorative term. It is stronger than a straightforward expression of love for poetry and often implies excessive enthusiasm or poor judgment.
Easily confused with bardolatrous
Bardolatrous is the adjective describing excessive devotion to poets, whereas bardolatry is the noun naming that devotion.