canonize
verb
can·on·ize ˈka-nə-ˌnīz 
canonized ˈka-nə-ˌnīzd ; canonizing
in "Hamlet" usually
kə-ˈnä-ˌnīzd ; canonizing transitive verb
1
: to declare (a deceased person) an officially recognized saint
2
: to make canonical
3
: to sanction by ecclesiastical authority
4
: to attribute authoritative sanction or approval to
5
: to treat as illustrious, preeminent, or sacred
his mother had canonized all his timidities as common sense
Scott Fitzgerald
Scott Fitzgerald canonization
ˌka-nə-nə-ˈzā-shən
noun 
Synonyms
- adore
- adulate
- deify
- dote (on)
- hero-worship
- idolize
- worship
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
She died 100 years ago and was canonized in Rome last year. a singing star so canonized by his fans that they refuse to believe anything bad about him
Recent Examples on the Web There is a temptation to rush to canonize your memory, there is no need to do so. Caroline Hallemann, Town & Country, 31 Aug. 2022 Seals is hoping the work Lucas did with Robinson will continue and canonize Bronzeville as a national historic site. Darcel Rockett, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2022 Benedict’s response to the scandal was compromised by his haste to canonize John Paul, amid mounting evidence of the late Pope’s lack of sensitivity to the issue, and by his own reluctance to admit error on the Church’s part. Paul Elie, The New Yorker, 26 July 2022 All that’s left to canonize the process is assent by Nigeria’s legislators. Alexander Onukwue, Quartz, 16 Dec. 2021 Much has changed since 1994, when Campion became only the second woman ever nominated for best director, and the chance to canonize her could put Campion in contention for a major Oscar. New York Times, 1 Dec. 2021 While impeccable values decorate the company's hallways, the leader's shadow may canonize symptoms of coercion, deception and fake compliance. Loubna Noureddin, Forbes, 2 June 2021 Some subset of the suburban women who helped canonize Ginsburg might soften their opposition to these candidates, who are now seen, rightly, as mindless apologists for Trumpism and its horrors. David Faris, TheWeek, 20 Sep. 2020 Many of the saints canonized by the Church during the late Middle Ages were lay women and men who had provided assistance for those stricken with plague, leprosy and other infirmities. Adam J. Davis, The Conversation, 27 Apr. 2020 See More
Caroline Hallemann, Town & Country, 31 Aug. 2022 Seals is hoping the work Lucas did with Robinson will continue and canonize Bronzeville as a national historic site. Darcel Rockett, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2022 Benedict’s response to the scandal was compromised by his haste to canonize John Paul, amid mounting evidence of the late Pope’s lack of sensitivity to the issue, and by his own reluctance to admit error on the Church’s part. Paul Elie, The New Yorker, 26 July 2022 All that’s left to canonize the process is assent by Nigeria’s legislators. Alexander Onukwue, Quartz, 16 Dec. 2021 Much has changed since 1994, when Campion became only the second woman ever nominated for best director, and the chance to canonize her could put Campion in contention for a major Oscar. New York Times, 1 Dec. 2021 While impeccable values decorate the company's hallways, the leader's shadow may canonize symptoms of coercion, deception and fake compliance. Loubna Noureddin, Forbes, 2 June 2021 Some subset of the suburban women who helped canonize Ginsburg might soften their opposition to these candidates, who are now seen, rightly, as mindless apologists for Trumpism and its horrors. David Faris, TheWeek, 20 Sep. 2020 Many of the saints canonized by the Church during the late Middle Ages were lay women and men who had provided assistance for those stricken with plague, leprosy and other infirmities. Adam J. Davis, The Conversation, 27 Apr. 2020 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Medieval Latin canonizare, from Late Latin canon catalog of saints, from Latin, standard
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
canonizing 1 of 2
adjective
as in exalting
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- exalting
- enshrining
- glorifying
- memorializing
- commemorating
- dedicatory
- testimonial
- memorial
- commemorative
- honorary
- epitaphic
- epitaphial
canonizing
2 of 2verb
1
as in adoring
to love or admire too much a singing star so canonized by his fans that they refuse to believe anything bad about him Synonyms & Similar Words
- adoring
- worshipping
- worshiping
- idolizing
- deifying
- adulating
- revering
- hero-worshiping
- liking
- regarding
- hero-worshipping
- valuing
- respecting
- venerating
- cherishing
- appreciating
- treasuring
- favoring
- approving
- endorsing
- preferring
- esteeming
- prizing
- doting (on)
- fancying
- hallowing
- supporting
- indorsing
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- hating
- despising
- disdaining
- disliking
- detesting
- abhorring
- loathing
- disparaging
- belittling
- deprecating
- abominating
- putting down
- misprizing
2
as in elevating
to assign a high status or value to those movie buffs who have canonized Alfred Hitchcock as filmdom's preeminent director Synonyms & Similar Words
- elevating
- promoting
- deifying
- enthroning
- enshrining
- exalting
- aggrandizing
- lifting
- glorifying
- honoring
- ennobling
- dignifying
- praising
- upgrading
- magnifying
- raising
- romanticizing
- boosting
- idealizing
- enskying
- acclaiming
- uplifting
- lauding
- heightening
- intensifying
- sanitizing
- sugarcoating
- extolling
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- humiliating
- degrading
- minimizing
- decrying
- humbling
- disparaging
- belittling
- demeaning
- detracting
- depreciating
- abasing