adulated

verb

past tense of adulate
1
as in adored
to love or admire too much it's ridiculous how she adulates that airheaded rock star

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in applauded
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 adulated 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 adulated
  1. adored
  2. applauded
  3. worshipped
  4. praised
  5. idolized
  6. congratulated
  7. commended
  8. flattered
Verb
  • Having Nick and Charlie end their relationship—a relationship genuinely adored by the Heartstopper fandom— was not a decision Oseman made lightly.
    — Barry Levitt, Time, 17 July 2026
  • Anna’s attitude speaks to the jealousy that fuels the movie’s wider narrative – Jack is adored, largely inappropriately, by all the members of his family – while his father’s probing highlights a warped sense of entitlement.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 17 July 2026
Definition of adored
Verb
  • To what extent should the effective use of AI in the application process be applauded?
    — Cami Fateh, Vogue, 22 July 2026
  • Regenerative agriculture initiatives must only be applauded insofar as its flaws are acknowledged.
    — Andrew Watman, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
Definition of applauded
Verb
  • But for the peoples who worshipped there, that land was the church.
    — Kerri J. Malloy, The Conversation, 9 July 2026
  • Quite literally worshipped by some extreme members of society.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 22 June 2026
Definition of worshipped
Verb
  • It’s praised by critics as one of their best albums and has earned regular spots on their setlists ever since.
    — Sam Goldner, Pitchfork, 19 July 2026
  • Messi praised Yamal as a top talent during an event with Fanatics in between the respective press conferences.
    — Paul Tenorio, New York Times, 18 July 2026
Definition of praised
Verb
  • The first name that caught his eye was Nicklas Lidstrom, the great Detroit Red Wing, whom Werenski idolized as a boy growing up in Michigan.
    — Aaron Portzline, New York Times, 2 June 2026
  • As a child Modrić idolized the Yugoslav (later Croatian) footballer Zvonimir Boban.
    — Sanat Pai Raikar, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 June 2026
Definition of idolized
Verb
  • In a post on social media, Fedorov congratulated Drapatyi on his appointment as commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s military.
    — Sam Meredith, CNBC, 22 July 2026
  • Her mother in Kearney, Francesca Gambino Brown, congratulated her on social media last week as Brown prepares for the upcoming football season.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 21 July 2026
Definition of congratulated
Verb
  • But others also commended her for protecting Barron, even if that means protecting him from those close to him.
    — StyleCaster Editors, StyleCaster, 21 July 2026
  • On Saturday, Reeve commended the team’s centers but found the guards struggling to make anything work on the defensive end.
    — Anya Armentrout, Twin Cities, 19 July 2026
Definition of commended
Verb
  • They were so thoroughly outplayed that the eventual 2-0 scoreline actually flattered them.
    — Mark Carey, New York Times, 16 July 2026
  • Their creativity earned them a shoutout from Nicole Kidman herself, who was flattered by the playful gesture.
    — Amaris Encinas, USA Today, 14 July 2026
Definition of flattered

Browse Nearby Words

adulate
adulated
adulates
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Adulated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adulated. Accessed 23 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of maverick

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
thumbnail graphic with text word of the day quiz
Weekly "Word of the Day" Quiz See how well you know each Word of the Day for Ju...
See All