deity
gb/dˈiəti/ us/dˈiəti/
B2
English
~ 7600
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B2
entity
1
a god or goddess in a religion
A god or goddess that people worship and believe has special power over life or nature.
Usage pattern:
[someone] worships [a deity]; [a deity] of [something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use "deity" for the single God in major monotheistic religions where capitalized "God" is more natural in many English contexts (e.g., Christian, Jewish, Islamic texts). They may also confuse the pronunciation and spelling with "duty"; note that "deity" is usually pronounced /ˈdeɪ.ɪti/ or /ˈdiː.əti/.
Synonyms
god (The most common general word; can refer to the single God in monotheistic religions or any god in casual speech.)
|
divinity (More formal and abstract; often used in academic or religious writing rather than everyday speech.)
Antonyms
mortal (Highlights the contrast between an all-powerful, deathless being and an ordinary being that can die.)
|
human (Contrasts a supernatural, worshipped being with an ordinary person.)
Collocations
ancient deity
|Hindu deities
|local deity
|sun deity
|nature deity
|worship a deity
Themes
religion
|culture
|mythology
|philosophy
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The temple is dedicated to a deity of the harvest who is believed to protect the crops.
- In many mythologies, each natural force has its own deity.
- Some scholars argue that the story of this deity spread across several ancient cultures.
- Pilgrims traveled for days to leave offerings to the mountain deity.
- The festival celebrates a sea deity said to guide fishermen safely home.
Learner examples
- People in this village pray to a rain deity when there is no water.
- In Greek stories, Zeus is a powerful deity who lives on a mountain.
- The religion teaches that only one deity created the world.
- Every year, they give flowers and food to the deity in the small shrine.
- Many old stories talk about a sun deity and a moon deity.
Noun
C1
entity
2
person admired like a god
A person who many people love and respect so much that they talk about them like a god.
Usage pattern:
[someone] is a deity to [someone]; [field] deity
Common mistake:
Learners may not realize this is figurative and may think the person is being called a literal god. Context with fame, fans, or a field (like "rock deity") usually shows the figurative meaning.
Synonyms
idol (Very close in meaning; slightly more common in everyday use for celebrities and stars.)
|
icon (Stresses symbolic or cultural importance; not always as extreme as treating someone like a god.)
Antonyms
nobody (Informal word for a person with no fame or special status, the opposite of an admired or “worshipped” figure.)
Collocations
rock deity
|screen deity
|fashion deity
|sports deity
|pop-culture deity
Themes
culture
|media
|emotions
|core_vocabulary
|arts_entertainment
Examples
- In the world of heavy metal, that guitarist is treated as a virtual deity.
- For many young designers, she is a fashion deity whose taste can do no wrong.
- By the end of the tournament, the striker had become a deity to the team's fans.
- Critics once praised him as a cinematic deity, though his later films were less successful.
- In some online communities, certain programmers are spoken of as deities of open-source software.
Learner examples
- To her fans, the singer is a true deity who can do nothing wrong.
- Some people talk about that actor as if he were a movie deity.
- In the small town, the famous runner is almost a sports deity.
- Young writers see the old author as a deity and copy his style.
- The chef became a food deity after the TV show made him famous.
Grammar
Dictionary form
deity
IPA
GB/dˈiəti/
US/dˈiəti/
Syllables & stress
deity (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (deity)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: deity
- Plural: deities, deity
Word family
Expressions
No expressions linked to this entry yet.