1
as in hagiographical
overly or insincerely flattering
an office flunky who can be counted on to make an adulatory response to the boss's every suggestion
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in adoring
reflecting great admiration or devotion
an adulatory eulogy delivered at a beloved teacher's retirement party
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adulatory
Adjective
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Chicharito also benefitted from his market placement in LA, in his case mainly due to the proximity to an adoring Mexican fanbase throughout Southern California.—
Ian Nicholas Quillen,
Forbes.com,
20 Apr. 2025 -
In some cases, like his calls to deport millions of undocumented immigrants, Mr. Trump has promised changes that many of his most adoring fans in Europe have stopped well short of.—
Jim Tankersley,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Years of hagiographic media coverage and his immense social-media reach birthed legions of fanboys and nurtured a cult of personality.—
Franklin Foer,
The Atlantic,
28 July 2025
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Photo Gallery Feeling the heat, George accepts an offer to take the lead in a largely fictional and completely hagiographic biopic of (current) Egyptian President Al-Sisi.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
19 May 2025
Adjective
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The practice is one of a sickening array of battlefield mistreatments recorded on video either by Ukrainian surveillance drones or Russian servicemen and then circulated on social media.—
Andrew Carey,
CNN Money,
28 July 2025
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Especially when his head gave a sickening whirl, blackening for a second, and his limbs seized again.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
People.com,
24 July 2025
Adjective
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The Social Security Administration sent a gushy, questionable email July 4 to millions of people collecting Social Security benefits and others.—
Susan Tompor,
USA Today,
21 July 2025
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That unspoken contract between gore-hungry viewers and the film is mostly forged by Christien Tinsley, the makeup effects artist whose gushy prosthetics are shown off at every turn.—
Joshua Rothkopf,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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One defense, beginning in the late eighteen-hundreds, was flypaper, sheets of which were coated on one side with an oleaginous substance that lured flies, then permanently trapped them.—
David Owen,
The New Yorker,
27 July 2024
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At any moment, the noodles might dissolve, the cheese topping burn, the dish collapse into a soggy, oleaginous mess.—
Isaac Butler,
The New Yorker,
1 Dec. 2023
Adjective
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Texture matters: Choose based on your skin type—gel for oily, cream for dry.—
Corein Carter,
Forbes.com,
25 July 2025
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Sunscreen also becomes less effective in high temperatures, and the ingredients may separate and leak, causing an oily mess.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
25 July 2025
Adjective
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Martin studied under and is basically a Temu Alan Grant, while the unctuous Friend oozes with corporate evil.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
30 June 2025
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At times, the display of closeness felt a bit unctuous, as when Musk praised Trump for his gold-heavy interior design makeover of the Oval Office.—
Niall Stanage,
The Hill,
30 May 2025
Adjective
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It was crafted for robust and fulsome flavor from start to finish.—
Gege Reed,
The Courier-Journal,
2 Aug. 2025
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Haley rounded out her presidential resume with a foreign-policy position in Trump’s first administration, seemed to leave her job on good terms with the president, and delivered a fulsome speech to the 2020 Republican National Convention comparing Trump at length to Reagan.—
W. James Antle III,
The Washington Examiner,
2 July 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Adulatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adulatory. Accessed 13 Aug. 2025.
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