WordValehagiography
writing that treats its subject as flawless
In more detail
1. (noun) a biography of a saint or holy person
2. (noun) a biography that presents someone in an excessively favorable or idealized way, ignoring their faults
Examples
- 1. The hagiography detailed the saint's miracles and devotion.
- 2. Critics complained that the book was a hagiography that failed to mention the politician's scandals.
How to use hagiography
Hagiography in its strict historical sense refers to the biography of saints, but in modern usage it more commonly denotes any excessively laudatory biography that omits criticism or unflattering facts. It carries a pejorative tone when used this way, implying the work lacks objectivity or scholarly rigor. The term is frequent in literary criticism, history, and political commentary.
Common phrases
- write a hagiography
- political hagiography
- hagiography of a leader
- mere hagiography
- sanitized hagiography
Synonyms
eulogy · panegyric · whitewash · idealization · sanitized biography
Opposites
exposé · hatchet job · critique
Word family
hagiographer (noun) · hagiographic (adjective) · hagiographical (adjective)
A common mistake
Learners sometimes confuse hagiography with biography, not recognizing that it specifically implies flattery or idealization rather than neutral factual account.
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