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
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Recent Examples of adulatory
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
Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adulatory
Adjective
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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.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
16 Sep. 2025
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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
Adjective
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Eschewing the polished, hagiographic style of many contemporary making-of documentaries, Figgis keeps his footprint small and his perspective immediate.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Aug. 2025
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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
Adjective
-
Winter is coming, and no amount of Narcan can solve this sickening public health crisis.—
Joe Dwinell,
Boston Herald,
19 Oct. 2025
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The injury was so sickening that the CBS broadcast only replayed it once, lest anyone with a weak stomach lose their lunch.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
13 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
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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The chatter has only grown in recent days, after Ms. Anderson — who just celebrated a birthday — posted a story on her Instagram account, showing a lavish bouquet of flowers and a gushy card from an admirer.—
Jesse McKinley,
New York Times,
12 Dec. 2024
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
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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
Adjective
-
How To Get Rid Of Grease Stains For really oily, greasy stains, start by coating them with a layer of cornstarch or baking soda to soak up some of the grease.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
20 Oct. 2025
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Some milky toners even pull double duty as a moisturizer replacement, which is perfect for those who live in humid climates or anyone with naturally oilier skin.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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When coitus occurs, it’s scored by unctuous music.—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
18 Sep. 2025
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In its equilibrium, a good tomato sandwich is juicy and unctuous and appropriately messy, which is praise all-too-often reserved for hot sandwiches like cheesesteaks or patty melts.—
Catherine Jessee,
Southern Living,
18 July 2025
Adjective
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The dilemmas of post-revolutionary life—in particular, the gap between fulsome propaganda and flawed realities—were efficiently captured, as usual, in the popular genre known as the anekdot.—
Benjamin Nathans
September 24,
Literary Hub,
24 Sep. 2025
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It was crafted for robust and fulsome flavor from start to finish.—
Gege Reed,
The Courier-Journal,
2 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Adulatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adulatory. Accessed 26 Oct. 2025.
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