What does deify mean?
"Deify" is a verb meaning to worship something or someone as a god, or more broadly to admire and glorify a person to an excessive degree. The word comes from the Latin deus, meaning god, combined with a verb-forming suffix, so it literally means "to make divine." In its original sense, deify describes practices in which human beings are elevated to divine status — Roman emperors, Egyptian pharaohs, and other rulers were formally deified by their subjects. In everyday modern usage, however, the word is almost always figurative: we say that fans deify pop stars, that historians deify founding figures, or that a culture deifies wealth and success. Because it implies a level of reverence that borders on the irrational, deify frequently appears in critical or skeptical commentary, warning against treating fallible humans as infallible idols. It is a formal, expressive word that adds rhetorical weight to discussions of hero worship, celebrity culture, and misplaced adoration.
To worship, revere, or treat as a god; to accord divine status to a person or thing.
"After his death, the Senate voted to deify Augustus, making him an official deity of the Roman state."
This sense is most often used in historical or religious discussion of figures who were formally granted divine honors.
To idealize, idolize, or glorify a person excessively, treating them as if they were perfect or divine.
"The documentary argues that we too readily deify entrepreneurs, ignoring the flaws behind their public images."
In this figurative sense, deify usually carries a mildly critical tone, implying that admiration has gone too far.
Roman senators voted to make dead emperors official gods — the word 'deify' literally means 'to make into a god.'
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of deify
"Deify" derives from the Latin deus, meaning "god," combined with the verb-forming suffix -fy (from Latin facere, "to make"), so the word essentially means "to make into a god." It entered English in the early 17th century, initially used in religious and classical-historical contexts to describe the practice of according divine honors to mortals. The same Latin root deus gives us related English words such as deity, divine, divinity, and deist.
Related word forms
How deify is actually used
"Deify" is typically used in formal or literary contexts. It often carries a critical or cautionary connotation when applied to modern figures — suggesting that admiration has become excessive or uncritical. The past participle "deified" is common in both literal historical and figurative uses.
Easily confused with deify
'Deify' means to worship or treat as a god (from Latin deus), while 'defy' means to openly resist or refuse to obey.