hagiography

noun

Definition of hagiographynext
as in biography
disapproving a book about someone's life that makes it seem better than it really is or was a hagiography of the leader written by one of his closest confidants

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hagiography The current administration is engaged in an effort to bowdlerize American history, stripping away complexity in favor of easy myth and hagiography, not to mention the attempt to whitewash more recent events. — John Swansburg, The Atlantic, 15 June 2026 Ferrer’s memoirs are nuanced and deeply insightful, if sometimes a little too close to hagiography. — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 15 May 2026 Today’s stars go to war with haters, but Dylan takes aim at venerators, seeking to jam the gears of a hagiography machine that’s been clanking and wheezing since 1962. — New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026 Super Nintendo, as the title suggests, is a hagiography. — Alexander Kaplan, The Washington Examiner, 20 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hagiography
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hagiography
  1. biography
  2. memoir
Noun
  • In 1996, Julie Cox took over the role in Princess in Love, a CBS film based on the biography by Anna Pasternak with the same name.
    — Giovana Gelhoren, InStyle, 23 Aug. 2026
  • This admiring biography of Harry Belafonte captures the epic sweep of the long life of the entertainer and activist, who died in 2023.
    — Monitor reviewers, Christian Science Monitor, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of biography
Noun
  • Judge Carli Kierny has ruled Davis’ statements made in his memoir as well as his previous police interviews are admissible as evidence.
    — Taylor Romine, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026
  • In 1976, a man named Forrest Carter published a memoir called The Education of Little Tree.
    — Tommy Orange, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of memoir

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hagiographies
hagiography
hagridden
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Cite this Entry

“Hagiography.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hagiography. Accessed 30 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on hagiography

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hagiography

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