Demigod
(pronounced dem-ee-god) noun
Definition
1. (mythological) the offspring of a god and a mortal; a lesser or a minor god. 2. somebody deified or raised to divine status; a person who is the object of intense deference and esteem.
Main Example
- In an era when we Americans don’t seem to have any nationally beloved heroes, Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger--the US Airways pilot who miraculously saved everyone on board his doomed aircraft by successfully landing it in the Hudson River--has filled a void. No wonder that when Sully, who is now revered as a demigod by the flying public, returned to active duty after a nine-month absence it made front page news.
Workplace Examples
- You’ll rarely find any of our top executives alone. Even when one of them is at the coffee machine, someone will seize the opportunity to have a quick conversation with them. I suppose everyone wants to have a sort of communion with the demigods.
- Since coming on board, I keep hearing things like, “We need to do it Sarah’s way,” or “That is not what Sarah has in mind,” or “I think Sarah will love this.” The people here sure have turned her into a demigod!
Other Examples
- a colleague commenting: “I really pity Mark. Over the span of one year, he has gone from demigod to pariah. Quite a fall!”
- this author telling someone: “When I was at the Kellogg School, Phil Kotler--the marketing guru--was a demigod! Several of us students traded everything we had to get into his eagerly sought-after class.”
- among the demigods of modern art: Picasso and Matisse; some other demigods in their respective fields: Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron in baseball, Lee Iacocca and Jack Welch in corporate America
- in France, noted chefs willing to give their eyeteeth to win the highest rating (three stars) from the prestigious Michelin Restaurant Guide because, in the opinion of gourmet food lovers, such a rating confers upon them the status of a demigod
