adulation

noun

ad·​u·​la·​tion ˌa-jə-ˈlā-shən 

-dyə,

-də-

: extreme or excessive admiration or flattery

Celebrities often feed off the adulation of fans, but that acclaim can be fleeting and illusory.

—Ruben Castenada

During the campaign, he basked in the adulation of his fans and emphasized the promises that drew the biggest applause and the most retweets …

—Peter Coy

… she thought he'd be an egomaniac, spoiled by fame and public adulation.

—Maureen Callahan

… is only starting to reach the level of popular and critical adulation that bands work their entire lives to achieve …

—Steve Kandell

He had not fully understood his achievement until he returned home to an outpouring of adulation from local media.

—David Müller

adulate

ˈa-jə-ˌlāt 

-dyə-

-də-

transitive verb

adulated; adulating; adulates

adulator

ˈa-jə-ˌlā-tər 

noun

adulatory

ˈa-jə-lə-ˌtȯr-ē 

adjective

adulatory crowds

Did you know?

If adulation makes you think of a dog panting after its beloved person, you're on the right etymological track; the word ultimately comes from the Latin verb adūlārī, meaning "to fawn on" (a sense used specifically of the affectionate behavior of dogs) or "to praise insincerely." Adulation has been in use in English since the 15th century. The verb adulate, noun adulator, and adjective adulatory later followed dutifully behind.

Synonyms

• adoration
• worship
• worshiping
• worshipping

Examples of adulation in a Sentence

The rugby player enjoyed the adulation of his fans.

a writer who inspires adulation in her readers

Recent Examples on the Web

And then there’s Tristen, the only chef maybe in Top Chef history whose reaction to Italy isn’t outward adulation. —Caroline Framke, Vulture, 13 June 2025

This approach is like typical retirement tours, which usually feature beloved babyfaces receiving widespread adulation. —Andrew Ravens‎, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 May 2025

The life of a teen idol in the early 1960s was a mix of dismissal and adulation, according to peer Fabian Forte, who performed as Fabian and toured with Christie in rock ‘n’ roll revival shows in the 1980s. —Christie D’zurilla, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2025

Also palace-in-the-sky planes, gold decor in the Oval Office, the adulation of huge rallies, the company of kings (British, Saudi), and the general aura that surrounds power, wealth and royalty. —Susan Page, USA Today, 11 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English adulacioun "insincere praise, flattery," borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin adūlātiōn-, adūlātiō, from adūlārī "to fawn upon (of dogs), praise insincerely" (of uncertain origin) + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action

Note: On the presumption that it is a denominal verb, Latin adūlārī has been compared with Sanskrit vāla-, vāra- "hair of a horse's tail, horsehair," Lithuanian valaĩ "horse's tail," though this is difficult both semantically and phonetically. More recently, the base of Latin avidus "greedy, eager" has been proposed as a source (see avid), via a prefixed *ad-awido-, syncopated to *ad-audo-, then with the second d dissimilated to l, yielding *adūlo-, "eagerly seeking something, flattering."

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for adulation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation

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