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

Relevance

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

Back on property, the outdoor pool sits peacefully at the edge of the vineyard next to two large oaks (one of which has a storybook-like swing hanging from it, which the youngest guests adored).

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Oct. 2026
These cheery yellow flowers produce a thin, needlelike seed that is rich with oil and dense with nutrients that towhees, nuthatches, cardinals and even robins adore into January.

— Karen Hugg, Washington Post, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of adore

Verb

In Jennifer’s Body, Needy (Seyfried) is BFFs with the titular mean girl played by Fox, whose body becomes possessed by a succubus with a taste for teen boys after a botched sacrifice by a devil-worshipping boy band (led by Adam Brody).

— Glenn Garner, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026
While many Hindus worship Rama, Sita and Hanuman as deities, Hindu nationalists have also presented Rama as a historical figure – the legendary ruler of the ancient kingdom of Ayodhya.

— Sohini Sarah Pillai, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of worship

Verb

Maiava echoed Riley’s sentiment when asked about Dyakonov, praising his ability to fill in for Paige on short notice.

— Sean Campbell, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
Prior to the first game of the ALCS, Guardians manager Stephen Vogt praised the Tampa Bay and Cleveland general managers respectively.

— Isaac Tellechea, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of praise

Verb

The leader of the breakfast and lunch chain, which brings in over $1 billion in annual revenue, likes to break bread with staffers rather than hide away in a corner office.

— Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2026
Overcast Milan was looking even grayer than I’d have liked, but I was heartened by a gracious welcome at the Park Hyatt, tucked away on a side street of the Piazza del Duomo.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of like

Verb

The distance from May to October meant that people probably felt a little freer to applaud Busch’s life, without concentrating too much on the details of his tragic and unexpected death.

— Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 10 Oct. 2026
Ormond’s lawyers issued a statement on Thursday applauding the ruling.

— Gene Maddaus, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of applaud

Verb

The Textile-to-Textile Ecosystem Award went to the Circulose Recycling Ecosystem, commending the brand commitments and fiber-producer partnerships supporting the Swedish company’s industrial restart.

— Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026
In a statement this week, the ACLU of Kansas commended Overland Park police for updating its policy, and for including community members in the process.

— Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 14 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 18 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of adulate

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