personality cult
noun
: a situation in which a public figure (such as a political leader) is deliberately presented to the people of a country as a great person who should be admired and loved
Examples of personality cult in a Sentence
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Xi thought Mao’s personality cult during the Cultural Revolution was disastrous.
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Joseph Torigian, Foreign Affairs, 23 June 2025
Such leaders, though, eventually become victims of their own personality cult and, like Stalin, Hitler, Mao, and Mussolini, do not leave office voluntarily.
—Alexander J. Motyl, Foreign Affairs, 27 Jan. 2016
With the entire Republican Party having joined Trump’s personality cult, there’s no impetus for new constitutional safeguards, and yet, there has never been more of a need for them.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 29 May 2025
The crisis and its aftermath have demonstrated how India’s national security has become almost entirely captive to burnishing the personality cult of its leader.
—Vaibhav Vats, The Atlantic, 21 May 2025
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Joseph Torigian, Foreign Affairs, 23 June 2025
Such leaders, though, eventually become victims of their own personality cult and, like Stalin, Hitler, Mao, and Mussolini, do not leave office voluntarily.
—Alexander J. Motyl, Foreign Affairs, 27 Jan. 2016
With the entire Republican Party having joined Trump’s personality cult, there’s no impetus for new constitutional safeguards, and yet, there has never been more of a need for them.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 29 May 2025
The crisis and its aftermath have demonstrated how India’s national security has become almost entirely captive to burnishing the personality cult of its leader.
—Vaibhav Vats, The Atlantic, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for personality cult
Cite this Entry
“Personality cult.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/personality%20cult. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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