IDOLATRY Synonyms: 35 Similar and Opposite Words

idolatry

noun

ī-ˈdä-lə-trē

Definition of idolatry

as in worship

excessive admiration of or devotion to a person fans of the team are well known for their idolatry of the quarterback

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 idolatry Pastor Burns defended the installation via a lengthy public statement after critics compared it to the biblical golden calf, a symbol associated with idolatry. — Tiago Ventura, Time, 15 May 2026 As a cipher, the Discobolus can either represent Pollak’s humanistic ethos of a cosmopolitan society or the idolatries of Hitler’s blood-and-soil fascism. — Literary Hub, 10 Feb. 2026 But this facial gallery closed with the Western Roman Empire and the rise of Christianity, which inherited a suspicion of idolatry from the Old Testament and Judaism. — Cal Revely-Calder, New Yorker, 29 June 2026 The usual claims of occult idolatry, the sensitivity of children’s virgin eyes, and the fear of nurturing serial killers were at the heart of the debates, which had some comparing Schwartz to Jeffrey Dahmer and were only further accelerated by the intense graphics of illustrator Stephen Gammell. — Spin Team, SPIN, 22 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for idolatry

Recent Examples of Synonyms for idolatry

Noun

Historically, the Catholic Church had denied religious funerals inside its houses of worship as well as traditional burials for those who died in this way.

— Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
Nearby are the Druidical worship sites of Avebury and Stonehenge; there is a Celtic burial ground hidden in one of Ashcombe's deep, romantic coombes.

— Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 5 July 2026

Definition of worship

Noun

With wide sidewalks and a friendly park sandwiched in the middle, this is the city’s best stroll for window shopping, people watching, and sun worshiping.

— Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 10 June 2026
By the nail holes above and beside the worshiping altar, the household hung garlands.

— Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 14 Feb. 2026

Definition of worshipping

Browse Nearby Words

idolatries

idolatry

idolization

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Idolatry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idolatry. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of idolatry

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on idolatry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

gambol

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

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

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

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes