Standard Lemma guide

deify

verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈdeɪ.ɪ.faɪ/
  • UK: /ˈdiː.ɪ.faɪ/
  • US: /ˈdiː.ə.faɪ/
  • US: /ˈdeɪ.ə.faɪ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: D IY1 AH0 F AY2 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To make into a god.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • Near-synonyms: demideify, mythologize

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: divinize, apotheosize, euhemerize, demideify, mythologize

Antonyms: undeify, disdeify, ungod, euhemerize

2

verb

Meaning 2

To regard as being like a deity; to treat as worthy of worship; to exalt.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: divinize, apotheosize, exalt, idealize

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

exalt to the position of a God

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the people deified their King

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: exalt

4

verb

Meaning 4

consider as a god or godlike

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • These young men deify financial success

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: idealize, idealise

Narrower terms: apotheosize, apotheosise, apotheose

History

Etymology

From French déifier, from Latin deificāre, from deus (“god”). By surface analysis, deity + -ify.

Across languages

Translations

111 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: vergoddelik — to make into a god
  • Albanian: hyjnizoj — to make into a god
  • Amharic: መለኮት (mäläkot) — to make into a god
  • Arabic: أَلَّهَ (ʔallaha) — to make into a god
  • Armenian: աստվածացնել (astvacacʻnel) — to make into a god
  • Azerbaijani: ilahiləşdirmək — to make into a god
  • Basque: jainkotu — to make into a god
  • Belarusian: абагаўляць (abahawljacʹ) — to make into a god
  • Bulgarian: обожествя́вам (obožestvjávam) — to make into a god
  • Bulgarian: боготворя́ (bogotvorjá) — to make into a god
  • Catalan: deïficar — to make into a god
  • Catalan: divinitzar — to make into a god
  • Cebuano: diosnon — to make into a god
  • Chichewa: mulungu — to make into a god
  • Corsican: divinizà — to make into a god
  • Czech: zbožňovat — to make into a god
  • Danish: guddommeliggøre — to make into a god
  • Danish: forgude — to make into a god
  • Dutch: vergoddelijken — to make into a god
  • Esperanto: diigi — to make into a god
  • Estonian: jumaldama — to make into a god
  • Estonian: jumalustama — to make into a god
  • Finnish: jumaloida — to make into a god
  • Finnish: palvoa — to make into a god
  • French: déifier — to make into a god
  • West-Frisian: fergodlikje — to make into a god
  • Galician: divinizar — to make into a god
  • Georgian: გაღმერთება (gaɣmerteba) — to make into a god
  • German: als Gott verehren — to make into a god
  • German: vergöttern — to make into a god
  • Greek: θεοποιώ (theopoió) — to make into a god
  • Ancient Greek: ἀποθεόω (apotheóō) — to make into a god
  • Gujarati: દેવતા (devtā) — to make into a god
  • Haitian Creole: divinize — to make into a god
  • Hawaiian: akua — to make into a god
  • Hindi: पूजा करना (pūjā karnā) — to make into a god
  • Hungarian: istenít — to make into a god
  • Icelandic: guðdóma — to make into a god
  • Igbo: gosi — to make into a god
  • Indonesian: mendewakan — to make into a god
  • Indonesian: mempertuhankan — to make into a god
  • Indonesian: mempertuhan — to make into a god
  • Italian: deificare — to make into a god
  • Italian: venerare — to make into a god
  • Italian: divinizzare — to make into a god
  • Kannada: ದೈವೀಕರಿಸು (daivīkarisu) — to make into a god
  • Kazakh: құдайландыру (qūdailandyru) — to make into a god
  • Korean: 신으로 섬기다 (sineuro seomgida) — to make into a god
  • Korean: 신성해지다 (sinseonghaejida) — to make into a god
  • Kyrgyz: кудайлаштыруу (kudaylaştıruu) — to make into a god
  • Latin: deificō — to make into a god
  • Latvian: dievišķot — to make into a god
  • Latvian: pielūgt — to make into a god
  • Lithuanian: dievinti — to make into a god
  • Luxembourgish: verdéngen — to make into a god
  • Macedonian: боготвори (bogotvori) — to make into a god
  • Macedonian: обожува (obožuva) — to make into a god
  • Malagasy: andriamanitra — to make into a god
  • Malay: mendewa-dewakan — to make into a god
  • Malay: mendewakan — to make into a god
  • Malayalam: ദൈവമാക്കുക (daivamākkuka) — to make into a god
  • Maltese: jiddeifika — to make into a god
  • Māori: atua — to make into a god
  • Marathi: देवता (devtā) — to make into a god
  • Mongolian: бурханчлах (burxančlax) — to make into a god
  • Nepali: देवता (devatā) — to make into a god
  • Norwegian: guddommeliggjøre — to make into a god
  • Odia: ଦେବତା (debatā) — to make into a god
  • Polish: ubóstwiać — to make into a god
  • Polish: deifikować — to make into a god
  • Portuguese: deificar — to make into a god
  • Portuguese: endeusar — to make into a god
  • Portuguese: divinizar — to make into a god
  • Punjabi: ਦੇਵਤਾ (devtā) — to make into a god
  • Russian: обожествля́ть (obožestvljátʹ) — to make into a god
  • Russian: боготвори́ть (bogotvorítʹ) — to make into a god
  • Samoan: atua — to make into a god
  • Serbo-Croatian: obožavati — to make into a god
  • Slovak: zbožňovať — to make into a god
  • Slovak: zbožštiť — to make into a god
  • Slovene: pobožnovati — to make into a god
  • Somali: caqiido — to make into a god
  • Sotho: modimo — to make into a god
  • Spanish: deificar — to make into a god
  • Spanish: endiosar — to make into a god
  • Swahili: mungu — to make into a god
  • Swedish: avguda — to make into a god
  • Swedish: förguda — to make into a god
  • Tagalog: bathalain — to make into a god
  • Tagalog: diyusin — to make into a god
  • Tagalog: pumoon — to make into a god
  • Tagalog: poonin — to make into a god
  • Tagalog: dumyos — to make into a god
  • Tajik: илоҳӣ кардан (ilohi kardan) — to make into a god
  • Tamil: தெய்வமாக்கு (teyvamākku) — to make into a god
  • Thai: บูชาอย่างพระเจ้า — to make into a god
  • Thai: ยกขึ้นเป็นพระเจ้า — to make into a god
  • Thai: ถือเป็นพระเจ้า — to make into a god
  • Turkish: tanrılaştırmak — to make into a god
  • Turkish: ilahlaştırmak — to make into a god
  • Turkmen: hudaýlaşdyrmak — to make into a god
  • Ukrainian: боготворити (bohotvoryty) — to make into a god
  • Uzbek: ilohiylashtirmoq — to make into a god
  • Uzbek: opinmoq — to make into a god
  • Vietnamese: phong thần — to make into a god
  • Vietnamese: sùng bái như thần — to make into a god
  • Vietnamese: tôn làm thần — to make into a god
  • Welsh: dwyfoli — to make into a god
  • Welsh: ddwyfoli — to make into a god
  • Welsh: nwyfoli — to make into a god
  • Zulu: unkulunkulu — to make into a god