heroicize

verb

Definition of heroicizenext
as in to glamour (up)

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for heroicize
  1. heroize
  2. romanticize
  3. idealize
  4. glamorize
Verb
  • King Richard pushes aside the story of the Williams sisters to heroize their father’s determination to launch their talents.
    — Armond White, National Review, 11 Feb. 2022
Definition of heroize
Verb
  • The fact that such men are in short supply, and that this romanticized myth didn’t even remotely compare with the lives such men actually lived, is of little concern to today’s masculinists.
    — Michael Kimmel, Time, 15 Aug. 2026
  • YouTube | Overcast | Pocket Casts Gen Z has romanticized the technology of the ’90s—or the era’s lack of it.
    — Jinae West, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of romanticize
Verb
  • Gen Z’s frustration with wealth concentration is well-documented culturally, yet the #OldMoney aesthetic idealizes the visual language of precisely the fortune-building class its politics often criticize.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2026
  • In these photographs, the maternal body enters spaces designed around seduction, aspiration, and idealized femininity without renouncing any of them.
    — Alessia Glaviano, Vogue, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of idealize
Verb
  • Beyond post-pandemic freedom, the recent rave explosion can also be credited to BRAT, Charli XCX’s 2024 album that glamorized raving as an It Girl activity.
    — Kiana Mickles, Pitchfork, 15 July 2026
  • The film neither glamorizes nor indicts Solanas, who Taylor humanizes without softening or sentimentalizing her.
    — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 10 June 2026
Definition of glamorize
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.

Browse Nearby Words

heroically
heroicize
heroicized
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Heroicize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heroicize. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of rigmarole

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All