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Glite Dictionary
to think the world of

to think the world of

12 5.1
To like and respect someone very much
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : admirar mucho
  • I think the world of my best friend; she has always been there for me.
  • I think the world of her dedication!
  • I just think the world of her dedication!
  • I know you think the world of that movie.

But but, and again, I think the world of, of Marcus too.

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Examples

Synonyms

to idolize
vsto think the world of
  • US
42 4.9

Admire someone very much, often ignoring their faults

is strong respect but not necessarily blind or excessive
to esteem
vsto think the world of
14 4.6

To have respect for someone because of what they do

is more personal and strongly admiring rather than formal
to hung the moon
vsto think the world of
  • Informal
1 9.6

To think someone is perfect and cannot do wrong

is high respect without treating someone as flawless
to hang the moon and stars
vsto think the world of
  • Informal
9.9

Admire someone so much that you think they are perfect

is deep admiration but not focused on idealizing

Antonyms

to disrespect
115 3.5

To show a lack of respect for someone

How Admiring

to idolize
  • US
42 4.9
to think the world of
  • Informal
12 5.1
to admire
743 1.6
respect
∞ 1.0
to like
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

think the world of infinitive
thinking the world of present participle
thinks the world of third person singular
thought the world of past
thought the world of past participle

Morphology

think + the + world + of

The phrase uses a metaphorical extension of 'world' (as 'everything' or 'a great deal'), so combining 'think' with 'the world of' gives a clue that it expresses a strong opinion. However, the precise sense 'have a very high opinion of' is idiomatic enough that a B1 learner who only knows the literal words may not reliably infer it, so it is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Think the world of comes from the image of treating someone as if they were your whole world. So the phrase means 'to admire or respect someone a lot'.