adulate

verb

Definition of adulatenext
1
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
2
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
  1. adore
  2. congratulate
  3. worship
  4. praise
  5. like
  6. applaud
  7. commend
  8. overpraise
Verb
  • Victorians adored houseplants and incorporated them into their interiors with gleeful maximalist excess.
    — Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Sep. 2026
  • The evening was a fitting toast to the shoe maestro, who celebrated his past, present and future alongside an adoring Milan Fashion Week crowd and influential actresses and models, including Naomi Watts.
    — Katie Abel, Footwear News, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of adore
Verb
  • In between posts promoting her events, Campbell Ortiz frequently posted about her children, congratulating one daughter for graduating high school and wishing one son happy birthday and cheering on his basketball team.
    — Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News, 23 Sep. 2026
  • The veteran coach congratulated his team for the win and quickly pivoted to yelling about mental mistakes that kept Houston County in the game.
    — Jack Leo, AJC.com, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of congratulate
Verb
  • The first Christians worshipped primarily in each other’s homes.
    — John Blake, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026
  • These young men feared that worshipping in Hebrew, which many congregants did not understand, was driving away the next generation of Jews.
    — Ashley Walters, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of worship
Verb
  • Jonathan Cohen, who leads gambling policy at the American Institute for Boys and Men, praised these moves but said their impact may be limited, pointing to data from state regulators showing that few gamblers utilize similar tools on sportsbooks.
    — Marshall Cohen, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz also praised the passengers who stepped up and noted in his statement that investigation is still ongoing.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of praise
Verb
  • The need to be liked makes brands write polished statements aimed at everyone watching while the person actually affected waits.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Leo appeals to loftier questions about life Unlike Francis, who liked to travel to small Catholic communities far from Rome, Leo has been keen to emphasize and reawaken Europe’s Christian roots.
    — Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of like
Verb
  • Stephanie Graves, chair of the LAHSA Commission, applauded the court’s ruling.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
  • All but one of his Sox teammates lined up down the left-field line to applaud Vasil, one of the more popular players in the clubhouse.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of applaud
Verb
  • Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) chimed in on the conversation, commending Doe for coming forward.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Several Israeli officials commended the bravery of those on board the plane.
    — Mitchell McCluskey, CNN Money, 1 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

Browse Nearby Words

adscititious
adulate
adulated
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Cite this Entry

“Adulate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adulate. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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