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Synonyms

adulation

American  
[aj-uh-ley-shuhn] / ˌædʒ əˈleɪ ʃən /

noun

  1. excessive devotion to someone; servile flattery.


adulation British  
/ ˌædjʊˈleɪʃən /

noun

  1. obsequious flattery or praise; extreme admiration

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • adulatory adjective
  • self-adulation noun
  • self-adulatory adjective
  • unadulating adjective
  • unadulatory adjective

Etymology

Origin of adulation

Middle English < Middle French < Latin adūlātiōn- (stem of adūlātiō ) servile flattery, fawning, equivalent to adūlāt ( us ), past participle of adūlārī, -āre to fawn upon (of dogs), apparently a nominal derivative, with ad- ad-, of an otherwise unattested base + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Both beneficiary and victim of white America’s longstanding insistence on having one media-anointed leader serve as the spokesman for tens of millions of Black citizens, he drew adulation and jeers but consistently held the spotlight.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 17, 2026

As Hugo Ekitike walked off to the adulation of the Anfield crowd last Saturday and took his seat on the bench, Alexander Isak simply patted his Liverpool team-mate's hair from behind.

From BBC • Feb. 8, 2026

Cricket does not enjoy the same adulation in Nepal as it does in neighbouring South Asian nations where the game dominates popular culture.

From Barron's • Jan. 24, 2026

Her adulation of Herod, the assimilated Roman Jewish client-king of Judea, was contrary to most takes on him, certainly to the baby-Jesus-hunter of Matthew’s Gospel.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 12, 2025

So,” he said, “Before I leave you to the adulation of your peers, I have to ask. Where did you learn to do that? Play missing a string, I mean.”

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss