Adonize
/ˈæd.ə.naɪz/noun
To make someone or something look very attractive or elegant, often in an exaggerated way.
Did you know?The word comes from **Adonis**, the Greek god-like beauty whose name entered English through classical myth, so to adonize someone is literally to fashion them after a figure of idealized, almost supernatural attractiveness.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
Adōnis
“A beautiful mythic youth associated with desire, death, and rebirth.”
Latin
Latin
Adonis
“The same mythological figure, borrowed into Roman literature.”
Late Middle English
English
adonis
“A very handsome man; a male beauty.”
17th-18th Century
English
adonize
“To make like an Adonis; to dress or adorn with excessive care.”
Modern English
English
adonize
“To dress up or make more handsome or elegant, often in a showy way.”