What does deifying mean?
Deifying is the act of treating a person or thing as a god — literally, through worship or formal elevation to divine status, and figuratively, through admiration so extreme it borders on veneration. The word comes from the Latin deus, meaning god, and entered English via Medieval Latin deificare. In ancient contexts, deifying was a real religious practice: Roman emperors were formally declared gods after death, and Hellenistic rulers were worshipped in their lifetimes. Today the word is used mostly in a figurative, often critical sense, describing societies or fan cultures that idolize celebrities, athletes, politicians, or founders to an unhealthy degree. To accuse someone of deifying a person is usually to suggest that judgment and objectivity have given way to uncritical reverence. Related words include deify, deified, deification, and the broader family of terms descended from deus, such as deity and divine.
verb (present participle of "deify")Treating or worshipping someone or something as a god, or regarding a person with excessive admiration and reverence.
- To make a god of; to worship or treat as divine.
- To regard or praise someone or something with excessive admiration or reverence.
"Ancient Romans were known for deifying their emperors after death."
"The cult grew by deifying its founder and attributing miracles to him."
"Modern fandom has a habit of deifying celebrities until they can no longer live up to the image."
Roman emperors were so routinely turned into gods after death that 'deifying' was practically an official government procedure.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of deifying
Deifying derives from the verb deify, which comes from Medieval Latin deificare, formed from Latin deus ('god') combined with the verb-forming suffix -ficare ('to make'). The underlying root is the Proto-Indo-European *dyew-, which also produced Greek Zeus and related divine vocabulary. English adopted deify in the late 16th century, and cognates sharing the same root include deity, divine, deification, and deist.
Related word forms
How deifying is actually used
Often carries a critical or cautionary connotation in modern usage, suggesting that admiration has gone too far. Commonly used figuratively about celebrity culture, political leaders, and historical figures rather than literal worship.
Easily confused with deifying
"Defying" means openly resisting or refusing to obey, while "deifying" means treating someone as a god — they differ by a single letter but are nearly opposite in spirit.