ADULATE Synonyms: 80 Similar and Opposite Words

adulate

verb

Definition of adulate

as in to adore

to love or admire too much it's ridiculous how she adulates that airheaded rock star

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to congratulate

to praise too much a business executive who unwisely surrounds herself with incompetent assistants who spend all their time adulating her

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of adulate Venice pressers tend to fall on the warm/adulating side but this was clearly a film with plenty of admirers. — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2026 Greenery becomes an artful layer, softening the building and giving it a sense of (literal) grounding that tech-adulating blobitecture often lacks. — Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026 Turkey’s TB2s became adulated in Ukraine for striking Russian tanks advancing on Kyiv at the start of that war in early 2022. — Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for adulate

Verb

An outgoing kid from the suburbs of Buffalo, New York, who adored his little sister, Burch never regained consciousness.

— Brittany Shammas, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
No other branch takes such delight in going its own way, regularly giving a cold shoulder to titles the rest of the industry adores.

— Nate Jones, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of adore

Verb

The tragedy unfolded just one day after the archdiocese congratulated Sánchez Molinari on the anniversary of his ordination, Ecuadorian news outlet Primicias reported.

— Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026
How Mana got his start A young man walking on Flagler recognized Mana and stopped to shake his hand, congratulating him on the recent billion-dollar sale in Wynwood.

— Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of congratulate

Verb

Its magical forest is filled with talking animals, tree-worshipping mystics, scheming functionaries, and the Dowager Governess (Carey Mulligan), an enchantress who commands an army of uniformed coyotes.

— Alison Willmore, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026
The long history of prejudice As religious studies scholar Michael Altman argues, the charge that Hindus worship false gods and idols took hold in American national culture nearly two centuries ago.

— Arun Brahmbhatt, The Conversation, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of worship

Verb

Supporters, including Catholic and Orthodox Jewish school advocates and Democrats for Education Reform, praised the move.

— Lara Murray-Sterzel, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
Global Reach, an advocacy group that works to free Americans detained abroad and currently represents five Americans held in Russia, praised the release but called for the other prisoners to come home as well.

— Dasha Litvinova, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of praise

Verb

Terry Kay liked to tell the story of how he was coerced into writing his first novel by Pat Conroy, who told his literary agent Kay had written a brilliant manuscript.

— Suzanne Van Atten, AJC.com, 18 Oct. 2026
And yet, when CNN Sports asked to speak with people who bet on sports but don’t like prediction markets partnering with sports leagues, teams or athletes themselves, Allison was among the dozens of fans who reached out.

— Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of like

Verb

Something that started decades ago and was applauded and inoffensive is now politically incorrect.

— Michael Schneider, Variety, 19 Oct. 2026
Public perceptions of the police also change and are influenced by what people see on social media, said Hrar, who noted that officers were applauded for their bravery during terror attacks in 2015.

— ABC News, ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of applaud

Verb

Two Democratic political organizations are running adverts on the House’s bill to ban congressional stock trading, criticizing a Republican over the vote while commending a Democrat running in a different district for supporting the bill.

— Hailey Bullis, The Washington Examiner, 20 Oct. 2026
Related Articles The runway appearance of both Hosk and Palvin has set the internet aflame, with awed viewers commending the new moms and calling attention to the indelible power of women.

— Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of commend

Verb

The result is sometimes overpraising, overprotection, and overindulging children, mixing emotional intensity with economic privilege in ways that breed entitlement.

— Christine Michel Carter, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
As in the case of that picture, East of Eden is backed up by masterful screen storytelling that can hardly be overpraised and is complicated by no message that can be termed controversial.

— Jack Moffitt, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Mar. 2023

Definition of overpraise

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adscititious

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“Adulate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adulate. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of adulate

verb

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