ADULATORY Synonyms: 74 Similar and Opposite Words

adulatory

adjective

Definition of adulatory

as in hagiographic

overly or insincerely flattering an office flunky who can be counted on to make an adulatory response to the boss's every suggestion

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in adoring

reflecting great admiration or devotion an adulatory eulogy delivered at a beloved teacher's retirement party

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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 adulatory Besides being a record of events, the work is a crafty portrayal of kingship, presenting Akbar in an adulatory tone, as an exemplary and divinely favored ruler. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Apr. 2026 Reggie’s solution is to hire Arthur Tobin (Daniel Radcliffe), an Oscar-winning documentarian, to make an adulatory film about him, changing public perception and opening new doors. — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 18 Jan. 2026 Though the pilot wasn't picked up, Spinal Tap endured, acting as the primary subject of the first film's sendup of breathlessly adulatory rock biopics like Martin Scorsese's The Last Waltz. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Oct. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for adulatory

Adjective

Such hagiographic descriptors are applied to nearly all of Hagwon’s striving middle-class characters as well as most of its wealthy ones.

— Sanjena Sathian, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2026
Though mighty hagiographic, McPhee’s ability to break down a player’s gifts makes a poetic case for the game.

— Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 18 June 2026

Definition of hagiographic

Adjective

Mom and daughter share adoring glances at an event to celebrate International Women's Day in London.

— Kate Hogan, PEOPLE, 21 Apr. 2026
The Patriots’ pass coverage without Christian Gonzalez, their atrocious inside linebacker play and roller-coaster special teams, which give any adoring fan a heart attack at a moment’s notice.

— Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 16 Sep. 2025

Definition of adoring

Adjective

Beyond the ugly-duckling implications and the patent objectification and humiliation of women, the show’s portrayal of plastic surgery itself struck me as dark and sort of sickening.

— Jolene Edgar, Allure, 2 Oct. 2026
Perhaps the most sickening part of the entire encounter is that both Oleynik and Kravchenko are seen holding the turtle's hatchlings, posing for photos and smiling as if everything is cool.

— Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of sickening

Adjective

But something about the Ferris wheel, summer sunsets and general overindulgence convinced me that Wisconsin State Fair might just be the perfect place for romantic declarations, first dates, and altogether gushy moments.

— Anya Sesay, jsonline.com, 11 Aug. 2026
Except for the unfettered devotion in the latter is replaced by swooping strings and a gushy chorus that merely offer an antiseptic veneer.

— Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 18 June 2026

Definition of gushy

Adjective

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
Ted Cruz, the perennial front-runner, is smug and oleaginous—hated equally by his colleagues and the public.

— Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 26 Sep. 2022

Definition of oleaginous

Adjective

Book a sunset seating and pair unctuous langoustine nigiri and wagyu tataki with beautifully balanced cocktails flavored with yuzu, Japanese ume apricots, and cherry blossom.

— Rachel Howard, Travel + Leisure, 26 Sep. 2026
Tucci co-wrote the script (with his cousin, Joseph Tropiano) and co-directed with actor Campbell Scott, who also plays a supporting role in the film as an unctuous Cadillac sales man.

— Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of unctuous

Adjective

Trump’s tepid comments sharply contrast with his more fulsome displays of support for Netanyahu in the past.

— Seung Min Kim, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
Of the eight TripAdvisor reviews of the amphitheater near Arcugnano, in Italy’s northern Veneto region, all give fulsome, five-star praise.

— Julia Buckley, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of fulsome

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adulations

adulatory

adult

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“Adulatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adulatory. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of adulatory

adjective

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