idolatress
/ai'dɔlətris/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- A female idolater: A woman who worships idols or engages in idolatry. This is the core and most specific meaning. It directly refers to a woman who practices a form of worship centered on physical idols or images as deities.
- A woman with excessive admiration or devotion: By extension, it can describe a woman who shows extreme, often uncritical, admiration or devotion for a person, object, or concept, treating it with the reverence typically reserved for a god.
Examples of Usage
- Noun:
- The ancient text described the queen as a notorious idolatress who led her people away from the worship of the one true god.
- In her fanatical devotion to the pop star, she behaved like a true idolatress, spending all her money on merchandise and following his every move.
Advanced Usage
- The term is often used in a historical or religious context to describe women in polytheistic or non-Abrahamic faiths from the perspective of monotheistic criticism.
- In modern figurative use, it carries a strong connotation of criticism, implying that the admiration is misplaced, irrational, or excessive.
Variants and Related Words
- Idolater (noun): The general, gender-neutral term for a person who worships idols. An is specifically a female idolater.
- Idolatry (noun): The worship of idols; excessive or blind adoration.
- Idolatrous (adjective): Characterized by or involving idolatry.
Synonyms
- Iconolater (formal): A worshipper of images or icons.
- Devotee (less pejorative): A person who is very interested in and enthusiastic about someone or something.
- Zealot (implies fanaticism): A person who is fanatical and uncompromising in pursuit of their religious, political, or other ideals.
Related Phrases and Idioms
- To make an idol of someone/something: To admire or love someone or something so much that you treat them as an idol.
- She made an idol of her favorite author, believing he could do no wrong.
Noun
- a woman idolater