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Hagiography: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Hagiography noun. A biography that flatters its subject uncritically; originally the writing of saints' lives.
How to say it
hag-ee-OG-ruh-fee/ˌhaɡɪˈɒɡrəfi/
5 syllables, stressed on the third (OG). Forms: hagiographies, hagiographic, hagiographer.
Hagiography in a sentence
The authorised biography was pure hagiography, without a single mention of his three divorces.
Medieval hagiography is full of saints who tamed dragons and walked on water.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- idolisation
- eulogy
- puff piece
- panegyric
Opposite:
- exposé
- hatchet job
Where hagiography comes from
From Greek hagios, holy, and -graphia, writing.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
Medieval _____ is full of saints who tamed dragons and walked on water.
- epigraph
- pseudonym
- hagiography
Show the answer
hagiography: Medieval hagiography is full of saints who tamed dragons and walked on water.