glorifying

Glorifying is the act of praising, honoring, or presenting something as glorious. Grammatically it is the present participle of the verb glorify, which traces to Latin glorificare (“to make glorious”) from gloria (“glory”). In religious contexts, to glorify often means to honor the divine or to extol spiritual virtues through prayer, song, or ritual. In secular usage, it may describe elevating persons, nations, ideas, or lifestyles to an ideal or heroic status.

Glorification appears across domains such as literature, film, journalism, and advertising, where subjects are depicted with heightened grandeur, virtue, or desirability. It can aim to inspire admiration, motivate action, or reinforce cultural values by shaping perceptions of greatness or legitimacy. The term is also used descriptively in critical discourse to note how language, imagery, or narratives present the object as extraordinarily virtuous or admirable.

Connotations of glorifying vary with context. The word can be neutral or descriptive when simply noting praise. It becomes pejorative when it implies exaggeration, idealization, or propaganda that glosses over flaws, wrongdoing, or complexities. In media ethics and public discourse, discussions of glorification often address the potential effects on behavior, memory, or social norms, particularly regarding violence, extremism, or illicit behavior.

Related concepts include glorification as a general process of praise, glorify as the verb form, and broader notions such as praise, propaganda, and hagiography.