The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Apotheosis \Ap`o*the"o*sis\ ([a^]p`[-o]*th[=e]"[-o]*s[i^]s;
   277), n. pl. Apotheoses ([a^]p`[-o]*th[=e]"[-o]*s[=e]z).
   [L., fr. Gr. 'apoqe`wsis, fr. 'apoqewy^n to deify; 'apo` from
   + qewy^n to deify, qeo`s a god.]
   1. The act of elevating a mortal to the rank of, and placing
      him among, "the gods;" deification.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. Glorification; exaltation. "The apotheosis of chivalry."
      --Prescott. "The noisy apotheosis of liberty and
      machinery." --F. Harrison.
      [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

apotheosis
    n 1: model of excellence or perfection of a kind; one having no
         equal [syn: ideal, paragon, nonpareil, saint,
         apotheosis, nonesuch, nonsuch]
    2: the elevation of a person (as to the status of a god) [syn:
       deification, exaltation, apotheosis]

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

111 Moby Thesaurus words for "apotheosis":
   accolade, acme, admiration, adoration, adulation, aggrandizement,
   appreciation, approbation, approval, ascension, ascent, assumption,
   awe, beatification, beau ideal, bepraisement, best type,
   breathless adoration, canonization, congratulation, consideration,
   courtesy, culmination, cynosure, deference, deification,
   dignification, duty, ego ideal, elevation, eloge, embodiment,
   encomium, ennoblement, enshrinement, enthronement, epitome,
   erection, escalation, esteem, estimation, eulogium, eulogy,
   exaggerated respect, exaltation, excessive praise, favor,
   fetishization, flattery, gathering, glorification, glory,
   great respect, height, hero, hero worship, high regard, homage,
   hommage, honor, ideal, idolatry, idolization, idolizing,
   immortalization, kudos, last word, laud, laudation, lifting,
   lionization, lionizing, magnification, meed of praise, mirror,
   overpraise, paean, panegyric, paragon, peak, praise, prestige,
   quintessence, raising, rearing, regard, respect, resurrection,
   reverence, reverential regard, sainting, sanctification,
   shining example, summit, sursum corda, the Ascension,
   the Assumption, translation, tribute, ultimate, upbuoying, upcast,
   upheaval, uplift, uplifting, upping, uprearing, upthrow, upthrust,
   veneration, worship