Definition

1. Noun:
   • Intense devotion to a particular person: A situation where a public figure, especially a political leader, is presented as an almost god-like, heroic, and infallible figure through the use of mass media, propaganda, and other methods. It involves excessive, uncritical admiration and loyalty directed at a single individual.

Usage

• The term is primarily used in political and historical contexts to describe the adulation surrounding authoritarian or totalitarian leaders.
• It often carries a negative connotation, implying the devotion is manufactured or enforced rather than genuine, and is used to consolidate power.

Examples

• Noun:
  • Historians often cite the cult of personality surrounding Joseph Stalin in the Soviet Union.
  • The regime maintained control partly through a pervasive cult of personality focused on the supreme leader.
  • Modern dictators still attempt to build a cult of personality through state-controlled media.

Advanced Usage

• "to foster/develop/promote a cult of personality": To actively encourage and create this kind of intense, centralized devotion.
  • The new government's propaganda machine worked tirelessly to promote a cult of personality around the president.
• "to be the subject/center/focus of a cult of personality": To be the person who receives this devotion.
  • The general had become the subject of a cult of personality within the military.

Variants and Related Words

• Personality cult: A synonymous phrase with identical meaning and usage.
  • The documentary explored the rise of his personality cult.
• Cultic (adj): Relating to or having the characteristics of a cult.
  • The leader's cultic following was alarming to observers.

Synonyms

• Idolization: The act of admiring or loving someone very much, often to an excessive degree.
• Hero-worship: Excessive admiration for someone, treating them like a hero.
• Deification: The act of treating someone as a god.

Related Phrases

• Cult of celebrity: Intense public fascination with and devotion to famous individuals, typically in entertainment. (This is a related but distinct concept, focusing on fame rather than political power).
  • Some argue that modern media has created a cult of celebrity.

Noun

1. intense devotion to a particular person