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

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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

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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 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

As John walks several miles to catch up to Hal (who takes pictures with adoring fans at a taco stand), a holographic construct of a younger Hal emerges from the ring and briefly interacts with John.

— Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 17 Aug. 2026
Sending so much love and light to her family, friends, and everyone who adored her.

— Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of adore

Verb

An emotional moment was then shown between the three of them, as well as players coming up to congratulate him afterwards.

— Hunter DeLauder, AJC.com, 18 Aug. 2026
But instead of congratulating their long-time colleague, her co-workers, under the orders of their department head, urged her to think again.

— Sylvie Zhuang, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of congratulate

Verb

While many viewers praise the former child star as the beating heart of the series, her newfound success comes with heightened tabloid scrutiny, thecoverage wading into everything from her looks to her love life.

— Julianna Bragg, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026
Mourinho stressed that actions speak louder than words, praising his squad's growing unity and dedication.

— Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of praise

Verb

Russell likes to position the ponytail at the crown with the direction of the hair running parallel to the cheekbones.

— Marci Robin, Allure, 21 Aug. 2026
Why people don’t like it Some residents are worried about how these sprawling energy farms will affect local soil, especially near farmland.

— AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of like

Verb

That was because the player being replaced — match-winner Will Lankshear — took more than 10 seconds to depart while applauding the supporters.

— George Edwards, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Republican Terrell County Sheriff Thaddeus Cleveland applauded Commissioner Scott’s decision to halt construction.

— Laura Romero, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of applaud

Verb

While the filmmakers should be commended for keeping the focus on Brockington and Prescott for most of the running time, the doc also feels somewhat unbalanced.

— Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 18 Aug. 2026
The report commends changes including protecting wetlands, improving stormwater and wastewater infrastructure, and expanding water quality monitoring, including notification programs that warn people about unsafe conditions in rivers and streams.

— Joe Brandt, CBS News, 17 Aug. 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

adulate

adulated

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“Adulate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adulate. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of adulate

verb

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