1
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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
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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
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
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Though mighty hagiographic, McPhee’s ability to break down a player’s gifts makes a poetic case for the game.
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While these celebrity docs are hagiographic and formulaic, the interviews with Nadal and family and rivals like Federer and Novak Djokovic do push beyond the surface.
Adjective
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Mom and daughter share adoring glances at an event to celebrate International Women's Day in London.
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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.
Adjective
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Toxic fumes are leaking into airplanes and sickening passengers and crew members at an alarming rate, according to a September 2025 report by The Wall Street Journal.
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The concept of this many women vying for West is somewhat sickening to me.
Adjective
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Except for the unfettered devotion in the latter is replaced by swooping strings and a gushy chorus that merely offer an antiseptic veneer.
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The announcement may come as a shock for country fans who have followed the couple through their sappy podcast appearances and gushy acceptance speeches.
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.
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Ted Cruz, the perennial front-runner, is smug and oleaginous—hated equally by his colleagues and the public.
Adjective
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The salsa macha is an oily, toasty condiment pasty with peanuts and sesame seeds.
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Eucerin’s Clear Skin Sunscreen is formulated with oily, acne-prone skin in mind.
Adjective
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The unctuous and sweet char siu pork jowl is interspersed with green apple pressed with lime and ginger for a bright and crisp counter to the fatty pig.
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Made with the unctuous 8-percent-fat milk of the water buffalo—animals that may have arrived in the area via the Normans by way of Sicily, or perhaps by the Goths coming from Central Asia—buffalo mozzarella has been produced at least since the twelfth century.
Adjective
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Both titles possess the fulsome tones of Miyazaki-style Japanese anime.
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In overturning that verdict, the appeals court said the jury's question should have gotten a more fulsome answer, including the possibility of discounting all the confessions.
Cite this Entry
“Adulatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adulatory. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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