Wiktionary
alt. A situation where a leader (often a dictator) has been falsely idolized and made into a national or group icon and is revered as a result. n. A situation where a leader (often a dictator) has been falsely idolized and made into a national or group icon and is revered as a result.
WordNet
n. intense devotion to a particular person
Wikipedia
A cult of personality arises when an individual uses mass media, propaganda, or other methods to create an idealized, heroic, and at times worshipful image, often through unquestioning flattery and praise. Sociologist Max Weber developed a tripartite classification of authority; the cult of personality holds parallels with what Weber defined as " charismatic authority". A cult of personality is similar to divinization, except that it is established by mass media and propaganda usually by the state, especially in totalitarian states.
"Cult of Personality" is a song by rock band Living Colour. It was their second single off their debut album, Vivid, released on July 14, 1988. "Cult of Personality" reached No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 9 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart. It also won the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance in 1990. Its music video earned the MTV Video Music Award for Best Group Video and MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist. The song was ranked No. 69 on VH1's 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs. The solo was ranked No. 87 in Guitar Worlds "100 Greatest Guitar Solos" list. It was also selected for inclusion in the musical reference book, 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die: And 10,001 You Must Download. In 2007, the song was re-recorded and released for the video game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. The re-recording later appeared in Guitar Hero Smash Hits. It also appeared in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on the radio station "Radio X". The song was also the entrance music for former ROH and WWE wrestler, CM Punk, and Living Colour performed the song live for his entrance at WrestleMania 29. The song also appeared on the soundtrack for the 2015 video game NBA 2K16.
The band's founder, Vernon Reid described the song as very special for the band not just for its commercial success but because it was essentially written in just one rehearsal session. The riff was stumbled upon while practicing something else and by the end of the session they had written what was to become Living Colour's best known song.
The song contains many political references, and shares its name with a phenomenon involving psychology and politics.
Usage examples of "cult of personality".
He was uncomfortable with even the suggestion of a cult of personality.
So the jahriya counter by accusing the Khafiya of being a cult of personality around Ma Laichi.
It carries within itself an echo of the painful features In our developmeat related to the cult of personality that has been debunked and repudiated by the Party, features that, although they are not so far away from us in time, nevertheless seem to us to be in the distant past.