adulation

noun

ad·​u·​la·​tion ˌa-jə-ˈlā-shən How to pronounce adulation (audio)
-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 How to pronounce adulation (audio)
-dyə-
-də-
transitive verb
adulated; adulating; adulates
adulator noun
adulatory 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.

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 If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, covering your imitators is a whole other level of adulation. Leena Tailor, SPIN, 18 Sep. 2024 Popular on Variety The adulation was too much for Phoenix, who left the theater after nine minutes of clapping. Ellise Shafer, Variety, 4 Sep. 2024 Even at his most erratic and irrational, Modigliani has the film’s sympathies at every turn, not to mention its fascinated adulation: Its few scenes of him at work are shot with a hushed, glowing reverence. Guy Lodge, Variety, 24 Sep. 2024 When the Swiss retired there were mellifluous tributes, obituaries and a wave of adulation. Tim Ellis, Forbes, 19 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for adulation 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'adulation.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of adulation was in the 15th century

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Dictionary Entries Near adulation

Cite this Entry

“Adulation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adulation. Accessed 14 Oct. 2024.

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