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What is a word/phrase to describe someone who thinks someone else is perfect? For instance, if parents think that their child can do no wrong, then they are . . .? (Not necessarily biased or partial, because it is not in comparison to anyone else)

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  • 1
    Your question's title and its body do not match in their current state, in regards to a single question. Change one, or the other.
    – kayleeFrye_onDeck
    Mar 2, 2016 at 3:14
  • That person is wearing rose-colored glasses
    – MonkeyZeus
    Mar 2, 2016 at 19:03
  • They are fools.
    – Mr.Mindor
    Mar 2, 2016 at 19:31
  • "Naive" would suffice if you want to be more tactful about the lack of wisdom.
    – The Nate
    Mar 2, 2016 at 20:05

15 Answers 15

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13

How about the really common admiring?

to regard with wonder, pleasure, or approval.

Also, consider idolizing

to regard with blind adoration, devotion, etc.

Worshiping is relevant, but I'm not 100% sure if it fits your exact request.

And glorifying

to honor with praise, admiration, or worship

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    I think idolizing is just perfect for this application. It gives just the right sense of the behavior being out of balance (where adoring seems like something any parent might naturally do) and doting seems to indicate that the child is still very young. Idolizing goes right on into adulthood!
    – Lynnjamin
    Mar 1, 2016 at 16:11
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At the risk of being a bit too obvious, there is always Awestruck, which, quite literally means

Filled with Awe

It's not necessarily an appropriate term to use for parents who think their child can do no wrong - but then, I wouldn't describe that as Awe.

Now a child who thinks their parent can do no wrong- that's a strong use of both 'awe' and 'awestruck'.

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  • I upvoted this one before the question changed to take "awe" out. Changing the question necessarily changes the answer, too. I can't withdraw my vote without the answer changing, but it ought to let me do that because the question changed too, dammit.
    – Monty Harder
    Mar 2, 2016 at 19:17
  • @Monty it ought to be noted that the question was rewritten by someone other than the original asker, in a matter that, as you noted, radically changes the question. While the editors interpretation of the original intent is a valid interpretation, it is far from the only valid interpretation. I'm not interested in starting a rollback war, but I'm also not going to rewrite or delete this answer to reflect a revision that I feel has dubious value.
    – LessPop_MoreFizz
    Mar 3, 2016 at 1:55
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Doting would be a good word here.

showing a lot of love for somebody, often ignoring their faults

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  • Doting is good, but it is almost always used only in the specific sense of describing the attitude of an indulgent parent or relative to a child (admittedly the specific example the OP gave)
    – Charl E
    Mar 1, 2016 at 15:52
  • I would argue that although that is its most common usage, it doesn't have to be limited to that, but it's a point to keep in mind nonetheless.
    – John Clifford
    Mar 1, 2016 at 15:53
  • It probably doesn't have to be limited to that, but personally it would seem weird to me if I heard it used in any other context.
    – Anthony Grist
    Mar 1, 2016 at 15:55
  • Dotage is giving things to someone that they want, not thinking that they are flawless. Nursing, in a sense.
    – The Nate
    Mar 2, 2016 at 20:06
  • @TheNate Dotage is a noun, meaning "​old ​age, ​especially with some ​loss of ​mental ​ability" (Cambridge dictionary). It's nothing to do with giving things to someone that they want, and it doesn't mean the same thing as doting. Furthermore, the word "dote" literally means "be extremely and uncritically fond of." or some variation of that in most dictionaries, meaning it is 100% what the OP asked for.
    – John Clifford
    Mar 2, 2016 at 20:16
6

I would suggest Adoring

from adore: to regard with the utmost esteem, love, and respect; honor. (Dictionary.com)

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  • I can be in awe of someone I hate. I can respect and admire someone's ability while still considering them to be the spawn of Satan. On the flip side of that, I can adore someone while still recognizing that they are far from perfect or deeply flawed.
    – Darrel Hoffman
    Mar 1, 2016 at 19:44
5

Consider enthralled.

enthrall

verb (enthralls, enthralling, enthralled) [ with obj. ]

capture the fascinated attention of: she had been so enthralled by the adventure that she had hardly noticed the cold.

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  • I've never heard enthralled used with a person. Maybe her actions, but never a person.
    – erip
    Mar 2, 2016 at 12:50
  • Given that thrall historically meant “a captive person” or “servant,” I think it's appropriate to use with a person as the object.
    – Will
    Mar 2, 2016 at 17:06
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How about adulation?

excessive or slavish admiration or flattery

source: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adulation

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  • Some rando down-voting this? HAH! This word is just as good as most.
    – kayleeFrye_onDeck
    Mar 2, 2016 at 3:08
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Consider, put on a pedestal

put on a pedestal - to believe that someone is perfect

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2

Consider enchanted:

fill (someone) with great delight; charm.

"Isabel was enchanted with the idea"

synonyms: captivate, charm, delight, enrapture, entrance, enthrall, beguile, bewitch, spellbind, fascinate, hypnotize, mesmerize, rivet, grip, transfix

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2

Consider,

think the world of

Inf. Adore or admire greatly; He thinks the world of his children. WordReference

starry-eyed

Unrealistically or naively optimistic. FOD

If parents think that their child can do no wrong, then they are starry-eyed.

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I think Idolizing is probably the best fit, but it seems that you're looking to place an adjective/title on the people that perform this behavior then it would be more appropriate to say that they are idolizers. Here are a couple other options in the same neighborhood:

Venerator - A person that regards or treats with reverence; revere.

Fanatics - could also be another consideration as that has an implied sense of blindness to negative qualities

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Idealizer - someone who tends to idealize/idealise:

Regard or represent as perfect or better than in reality

Example sentence:

Orwell was indeed unsociable, anti-feminist and homophobic, but only ambiguously anti-Semitic, and by no means such a dewy-eyed idealiser of the plebs as some have imagined.

(def and example from ODO).

It doesn't work that well if you want an adjective, but you could use a participle:

A cognitive theory perspective emphasizes that idealizing parents may cause the child to develop an overactive view of the self that includes inflated beliefs of personal uniqueness and self-importance. In this approach to child rearing, the parents may systematically deny or distort negative feedback to their child.

from: Narcissism in the Workplace: Research, Opinion and Practice by Andrew J. DuBrin, Edward Elgar Publishing, 2012

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A somewhat figurative phrase could be being the thrall of someone, or in thrall of someone, especially if the admiration causes a sense of unthinking loyalty.

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Infatuated

possessed by a foolish or extravagant passion, esp for another person

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I think you might be looking for the idiom rose-colored glasses

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/rose-colored_glasses#English

  1. (idiomatic) An optimistic perception of something; a positive opinion; seeing something in a positive way, often thinking of it as better than it actually is.

Guy1: Jeez, that child is ransacking the bounce-house!

Guy2: Try telling that to the parent wearing the rose-colored glasses.

Guy1: Yeah, that parent never sees any fault in their child.

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-1

I believe this is from the Japanese:

To him, even her farts smell sweet

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  • Why do you suspect a Japanese origin?
    – The Nate
    Mar 2, 2016 at 20:09

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