To make a heroine of; to elevate to the status or role of a heroine.
From heroine plus -ize (from Greek -izein), the suffix turning nouns into verbs meaning 'to make, treat as, or engage in the action of.'
Heroinize shows how -ize creates verbs from nouns—you can heroinize someone just as you can lionize them, giving them hero status whether they earned it or not.
The verb form crystallizes the gendering problem: to 'heroinize' means to elevate a woman to exceptional status via a feminine suffix, implying heroic status is the default masculine form and 'heroinization' is a special, marked category.
Use 'heroize' universally. When discussing women's historical elevation to heroic status, frame as 'recognize as heroic' or 'celebrate heroism' to avoid the linguistic subordination built into 'heroinize.'
["heroize","recognize as heroic","celebrate heroism"]
Historical accounts often 'heroinized' women (especially in literature) while denying them political or economic heroism, fragmenting women's contributions. Universal use of 'heroize' reflects actual achievement.
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