idolatrous

adjective

idol·​a·​trous ī-ˈdä-lə-trəs How to pronounce idolatrous (audio)
1
: of or relating to idolatry
2
: having the character of idolatry
the religion of idolatrous nationalismAldous Huxley
3
: given to idolatry
idolatrously adverb
idolatrousness noun

Examples of idolatrous in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In Maimonides’ view, saying that God has a body is not just incorrect but blasphemous and idolatrous. Randy L. Friedman, The Conversation, 16 Feb. 2024 Even if the Palestinian group managed to defeat Israel, this would only mean the substitution of one system of idolatrous rule for another. Cole Bunzel, Foreign Affairs, 2 Nov. 2023 Her abusive minister father believed the sculptures were idolatrous and forbade Savage from pursuing her passion. Tanisha C. Ford, Town & Country, 4 Apr. 2023 Still, the film is not idolatrous but evenhanded. Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune, 24 Sep. 2022 As Christians, all of them were ambivalent about the idolatrous aspects of traditional Benin art. David Frum, The Atlantic, 14 Sep. 2022 Does anyone outside his idolatrous circle really think that this raid is anything but the actions of a billionaire trying to shape the dialogue in his favor and control the tools used by regular Joes to fight back? Horacio Silva, Town & Country, 1 May 2022 But seeing Minnelli, physically weakened yet immortally bright-eyed, stirred something in me that I am not used to feeling while watching these idolatrous shows. New York Times, 20 Apr. 2022 But Salzburg at any time of year is a fairy tale city, quaint without ever being coy, baroque without being excessive, and in thrall to native son Amadeus Mozart without being mawkishly idolatrous. John Mariani, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2021

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

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1500, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of idolatrous was circa 1500

Dictionary Entries Near idolatrous

Cite this Entry

“Idolatrous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/idolatrous. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

idolatrous

adjective
idol·​a·​trous ī-ˈdäl-ə-trəs How to pronounce idolatrous (audio)
1
: of or relating to idolatry
2
: given to idolatry
idolatrously adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on idolatrous

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