How to Use hero-worship in a Sentence

hero-worship

1 of 2 verb
  • When The Athletic visited Tashkent for the March international break, the hero-worship hadn’t yet ceased; Cannavaro was applauded both into and out of the press conference room by journalists, while some asked for selfies.
    — Tim Spiers, New York Times, 1 June 2026

hero worship

2 of 2 noun
  • He objects to the unthinking hero worship of great athletes by their fans.
  • This was hero worship on steroids, with a strong filial twist.
    — James Marcus, The New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2021
  • Fame, male privilege and hero worship all played a part in the outcome.
    — Variety Staff, Variety, 24 Jan. 2024
  • For my generation, there’s a bit of hero worship that went along with Sam.
    — Peter Libbey, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2018
  • What energies might substitute for those once spent on hero worship?
    — Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 23 Aug. 2022
  • But the hero worship of health care workers only goes so far to protect them from mental anguish.
    — Jillian Mock, Scientific American, 28 Apr. 2020
  • The whole book feels like a teeter tot between the author’s own hero worship of the subject and his gawking at the tragedy.
    — Jason Diamond, Bon Appétit, 9 Nov. 2022
  • Early in the film, Gregg Allman talks about his hero worship of Duane.
    — Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 17 June 2026
  • The whole book feels like a teeter-totter between the author’s own hero worship of the subject and his gawking at the tragedy.
    — Jason Diamond, Bon Appétit, 9 Nov. 2022
  • The genre has also inspired a level of hero worship some observers describe as simply bonkers.
    — Rajesh Roy, WSJ, 13 Sep. 2022
  • Those studying this digital age of extremism said it is based in part on hero worship of those who have gone before them.
    — Natalie Eilbert, jsonline.com, 29 Aug. 2025
  • Aaron should come to understand his father as abusive, but these lessons only reaffirm his hero worship.
    — Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2024
  • No one on the team knows about Sir and everyone on that team has a little hero worship where Gabi is concerned.
    — Alamin Yohannes, EW.com, 4 Oct. 2023
  • His adoration of John Huston can be seen as both hero worship and misogyny.
    — Janet Maslin, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2020
  • There’s a scene in which the character is wheeled onto the ice before a Bruins game, where the crowd smothers him with hero worship.
    — A.o. Scott & Wesley Morris, New York Times, 7 Dec. 2017
  • Dawn’s hero worship of Bill is complicated by their having slept together.
    — Ben Brantley, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2018
  • Others say a culture of hero worship and a fear of social repercussions have allowed misconduct to fly under the radar for years.
    — Cecilia D'anastasio, Wired, 10 July 2020
  • Yet the band do a good job of keeping any hero worship at bay, maintaining a healthy level of respect and cheerful irreverence.
    — Jordan Runtagh, PEOPLE.com, 19 Aug. 2019
  • Your skillful leadership may be on display in late September and could infect others with a bit of hero worship.
    — Tribune Content Agency, oregonlive, 10 June 2021
  • Much of this, of course, is childhood fabrication; puerile hero worship leaving an indelible mark on my memory.
    — Aram Mrjoian, Longreads, 15 June 2019
  • Well, speaking of Roosevelt here, Joe Biden’s got a real hero worship of Roosevelt.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 11 June 2022
  • At this point in their reign as the world’s biggest band, the members of BTS are accustomed to hero worship and nervous fans.
    — Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 1 Nov. 2022
  • In the past couple of days, Bryant stories have become meta stories, about memory and reckoning and hero worship and heroes.
    — Monica Hesse, Washington Post, 28 Jan. 2020
  • But asking them feels right in line with the series-long quest to interrogate the all-American project of unthinking hero worship.
    — Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 June 2022
  • To the credit of Hallström and the two lead performances, Hilma embraces complexity and has no use for pedestals or hero worship.
    — Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Jan. 2023
  • Fans of Bourdain-style travel and food writing — pop culture asides, sarcasm, jaded irony, a little bit of hero worship — might be disappointed.
    — Kara Baskin, BostonGlobe.com, 29 June 2023
  • The show’s second season, which ran last fall, earned high marks for storytelling and its use of humor to also make a statement on social media, hero worship and the oppressive forces of the elite.
    — Michael Schneider, Variety, 17 Aug. 2021
  • Folie à Deux has much to say about the state of society and questionable hero worship in the name of keeping the masses entertained in a TMZ era.
    — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 20 Sep. 2024
  • Here Amy's selfishness is revealed as hero worship of Jo and also as a burning need to be seen over the overwhelming personalities of her sisters.
    — Laurie Hertzel, Star Tribune, 14 May 2021
  • Police shows have struggled to adapt to a post-George Floyd world in which audiences have less of an appetite for uncritical hero worship where law enforcement is concerned.
    — Joshua Alston, Variety, 26 Sep. 2022

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hero-worship.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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