Idol
['aɪd(ə)l] or ['aɪdl]
Definition
(noun.) a material effigy that is worshipped; 'thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image'; 'money was his god'.
(noun.) someone who is adored blindly and excessively.
Edited by Laurence--From WordNet
Definition
(n.) An image or representation of anything.
(n.) An image of a divinity; a representation or symbol of a deity or any other being or thing, made or used as an object of worship; a similitude of a false god.
(n.) That on which the affections are strongly (often excessively) set; an object of passionate devotion; a person or thing greatly loved or adored.
(n.) A false notion or conception; a fallacy.
Typed by Ann
Synonyms and Synonymous
n. [1]. Pagan deity, false god.[2]. Falsity.[3]. Favorite, pet, darling.
Typist: Portia
Unserious Contents or Definition
Should you dream of worshiping idols, you will make slow progress to wealth or fame, as you will let petty things tyrannize over you. To break idols, signifies a strong mastery over self, and no work will deter you in your upward rise to positions of honor. To see others worshiping idols, great differences will rise up between you and warm friends. To dream that you are denouncing idolatry, great distinction is in store for you through your understanding of the natural inclinations of the human mind.
Edited by Julia
Examples
- It is better to catch the idol-maker than to smash each idol. Walter Lippmann. A Preface to Politics.
- Among his other advantages, Lord Raymond was supremely handsome; every one admired him; of women he was the idol. Mary Shelley. The Last Man.
- Is sure he is at the head of a lodge, and wears short aprons, and is made a perfect idol of with candlesticks and trowels. Charles Dickens. Bleak House.
- He loves the idol he serves, and prays day and night that his frenzy may be fed, and that the Ox-eyed may smile on her votary. Charlotte Bronte. Shirley.
- It has always had its own special idol worship within the Church. Hemingway, Ernest. For Whom The Bell Tolls.
- Miserable little propitiators of a remorseless Idol, how abject we were to him! Charles Dickens. David Copperfield.
- I am glad of this--not for my own sake, but for that of my life and idol--my Shirley. Charlotte Bronte. Shirley.
- Thus topples to earth another idol of my infancy. Mark Twain. The Innocents Abroad.
- I was not angry on my own account, but I felt as if the praises which this idol received were leaves torn from laurels destined for Adrian. Mary Shelley. The Last Man.
- Etiquette required that she should wait, immovable as an idol, while the men who wished to converse with her succeeded each other at her side. Edith Wharton. The Age of Innocence.
- Turning as from a fallen idol, she made other discoveries which rapidly dispelled her romantic illusions. Louisa May Alcott. Little Women.
- This idol carries its own criticism with it. Walter Lippmann. A Preface to Politics.
- Without entering into further explanations, I may repeat that the idol is down. Charles Dickens. Bleak House.
- To avow before what altar I now kneel--to reveal the present idol of my soul---- You will make haste about it, if you please. Charlotte Bronte. Shirley.
- Most men ruthlessly destroy the sacred veil, with which the female heart is wont to adorn the idol of its affections. Mary Shelley. The Last Man.
- I saw that in his heart he despised those dedicated to any but worldly idols. Mary Shelley. The Last Man.
- Positively Idols! Charles Dickens. David Copperfield.
- It was, I believe, an array of idols disguised as ideals. Walter Lippmann. A Preface to Politics.
- They are typical idols of the American people. Walter Lippmann. A Preface to Politics.
- For in the last analysis the practical and the reasonable are little idols of clay that thwart our efforts. Walter Lippmann. A Preface to Politics.
- Without it there would to-day be no demand for a creative statesmanship which turns its back upon the routine and the taboo, kings and idols, and non-human purposes. Walter Lippmann. A Preface to Politics.
- For those earnest men and women in Chicago did not set out to find a way of abolishing prostitution; they set out to find a way that would conform to four idols they worshiped. Walter Lippmann. A Preface to Politics.
- They are typical American idols, and they deserve some study. Walter Lippmann. A Preface to Politics.
- They should not die--first I would be gathered to nothingness, ere infection should come anear these idols of my soul. Mary Shelley. The Last Man.
- Idols are set up to which all the living must bow; we decide beforehand that things must fit a few preconceived ideas. Walter Lippmann. A Preface to Politics.
- He parleyed for two years, sending a disciple to preach in Medina and destroy the idols there. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- To see it is to see a vision of home itself and all its idols, and feel a thrill that would stir a very river of sluggish blood! Mark Twain. The Innocents Abroad.
- There are some low minds (not many, I am happy to believe, but there are some) that would prefer to do what I should call bow down before idols. Charles Dickens. David Copperfield.
- Those four idols really dominated the minds of the Commission, and without them the report cannot be understood. Walter Lippmann. A Preface to Politics.
- For with the removal of distracting idols, man's experience becomes the center of thought. Walter Lippmann. A Preface to Politics.
Typist: Natalie