hagiographist
/,hægi'ɔgrəfist/ Cách viết khác : (hagiographer) /,hægi'ɔgrəfə/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: A hagiographist is a person who writes the biography of a saint or a very respected person, typically in an extremely admiring, worshipful, or idealizing way that presents the subject as nearly perfect.
Usage
The term is used to describe a writer whose work focuses on sacred or highly venerated figures, often within a religious context. It implies a style of writing that emphasizes the subject's virtues and holiness, sometimes at the expense of a balanced or critical perspective. - The medieval monk was known as a skilled hagiographist, documenting the miracles of the local saints. - Modern historians sometimes criticize the work of a hagiographist for lacking objective analysis.
Advanced Usage
- As a scholarly label: In academic circles, calling a biographer a "hagiographist" can be a critique, suggesting their work is uncritically reverential rather than analytical.
- Secular application: While traditionally religious, the term can be applied metaphorically to any biographer who writes about a secular figure (like a political leader or celebrity) with excessive, uncritical praise.
Variants and Related Words
- Hagiographer (noun): This is the more common and frequently used synonym for hagiographist. The meanings are identical.
- Hagiography (noun): The idealizing biography itself written by a hagiographist or hagiographer.
- Her latest book was less a critical history and more a hagiography of the company's founder.
- Hagiographic (adjective): Describing writing that has the worshipful qualities characteristic of a hagiographist's work.
- The documentary was dismissed as hagiographic propaganda.
Synonyms
- Panegyrist: A person who writes or delivers speeches of high praise.
- Eulogist: A person who praises someone, typically in a speech or writing after the subject's death.
- Laudator: (Formal) One who praises or extols.
Antonyms
- Critic: A person who expresses an unfavorable opinion or analysis.
- Detractor: A person who disparages or belittles the worth of someone.
- Debunker: A person who exposes the falseness or exaggerated claims of a myth, ideal, or institution.
Related Idioms and Phrases
- To write a hagiography: This phrase is more common than using "hagiographist" directly. It means to produce a biography that idealizes its subject.
- The authorized biography read less like journalism and more like he was writing a hagiography.
Noun
- the author of a worshipful or idealizing biography