adulatory

adjective

Definition of adulatorynext
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

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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

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 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
  1. hagiographic
  2. adoring
  3. sickening
  4. gushy
  5. oleaginous
  6. oily
  7. unctuous
  8. fulsome
Adjective
  • Toei had close ties to the Yamaguchi-gumi, the biggest gang in Japan; in the early seventies, the syndicate boss’s son helped make a series of hagiographic films about his father—played by Ken-san.
    — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Consider Tom Brady’s 199 Productions — so far, the company’s output has almost exclusively been hagiographic documentaries and films about Brady’s illustrious football career.
    — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 7 Oct. 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
  • Hell, even recurring characters drop off without so much as the courtesy of a sickening demise.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Hersh was held hostage for 328 sickening, agonizing, and starving days until his captors executed him with five other young and luminous people in a tunnel underneath Gaza.
    — Rachel Goldberg-Polin, Time, 6 Oct. 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
  • This is part of the natural aging process, and the visible signs of aging include looser texture, dry skin, and in some people oily skin that still feels dehydrated.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Grease and oily stains dissolve more quickly in warmer water.
    — Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of oily
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

Browse Nearby Words

adulations
adulatory
adult
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Cite this Entry

“Adulatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adulatory. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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