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worship of man

worship of man

9.5
Treating a person as if they were a god
  • noun
translation icon : culto al hombre
  • Some ancient cultures practiced worship of man, elevating rulers to godlike status.

Examples

  • Modern critics argue that celebrity culture has developed into a subtle worship of man.

  • The documentary explores the consequences of worship of man in totalitarian societies.

  • The worship of man can lead to dangerous ideologies.

  • Many cultures have a worship of men who are seen as heroes.

  • In some ancient civilizations, the worship of man included rituals that honored leaders as deities.

  • The rise of social media has amplified the worship of man by glorifying influencers as icons.

  • Critics of modern society often claim that the worship of man distracts people from deeper spiritual values.

Synonyms

hero worship
vsworship of man
4 5.1

A very strong admiration for a famous person that ignores their faults

is about revering people as divine or exceptionally important rather than mere fame
idolization
vsworship of man
  • US
1 6.8

Strong admiration that makes someone seem perfect

is the religious reverence of people as divine rather than general devotion
ancestor worship
vsworship of man
1 7.0

A practice of honoring dead family members with gifts and prayers, believing their spirits watch over the living

is general reverence of people rather than focus on family ancestors
anthropolatry
vsworship of man
  • Specialized
9.9

Worship of a person as a god

is the broader practice of revering people as divine or very important
hierolatry
vsworship of man
  • Specialized
9.9

An act of worship that treats saints or holy people like gods

is about revering people more generally not only sacred figures

Antonyms

133 3.4

Rude behavior or words that show a lack of respect for someone

39 5.1

A strong feeling of dislike and no respect

15 6.4

To treat a person or thing as not worthy of respect

Surface Forms

worship of man singular

Morphology

worship + of + man

The meaning is directly compositional: 'worship' (to revere) + the preposition 'of' (marking the object) + 'man' (human/humanity) yields 'reverence of humans.' This structure is transparent and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words should be able to derive the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Worship of man comes from the simple picture of people bowing to a ruler, building statues and offering gifts as if he were a god, so the words worship and man give a clear image. That's why it now means 'admiring or treating a person as if they were a god'.