praise

[ preyz ]

noun

1. the act of expressing approval or admiration; commendation; laudation.

   Synonyms: compliment, approbation, applause, plaudit, acclamation

   Antonyms: condemnation

2. the offering of grateful homage in words or song, as an act of worship:

   a hymn of praise to God.

   Synonyms: panegyric, eulogy, encomium

3. the state of being approved or admired:

   The king lived in praise for many years.

4. Archaic. a ground for praise, or a merit.

verb (used with object)

, praised, prais·ing.

1. to express approval or admiration of; commend; extol.

   Synonyms: eulogize, applaud, laud

   Antonyms: depreciate

2. to offer grateful homage to (God or a deity), as in words or song.

   Synonyms: honor, exalt, glorify

praise

/ preɪz /

noun

1. the act of expressing commendation, admiration, etc
2. the extolling of a deity or the rendering of homage and gratitude to a deity
3. the condition of being commended, admired, etc
4. archaic.
   the reason for praise
5. sing someone's praises
   to commend someone highly

verb

1. to express commendation, admiration, etc, for
2. to proclaim or describe the glorious attributes of (a deity) with homage and thanksgiving

Derived Forms

• ˈpraiser, noun

Other Words From

• praiseful adjective
• praiseful·ly adverb
• praiseless adjective
• praiser noun
• half-praised adjective
• half-praising adjective
• outpraise verb (used with object) outpraised outpraising
• re·praise verb (used with object) repraised repraising
• self-praise noun
• self-praising adjective
• super·praise noun verb (used with object) superpraised superpraising
• un·praised adjective
• un·praiseful adjective
• un·praising adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of praise¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English verb preisen, from Old French preisier “to value, prize,” from Late Latin pretiāre, derivative of Latin pretium “worth, reward” ( price ); noun derivative of the verb

Word History and Origins

Origin of praise¹

C13: from Old French preisier, from Late Latin pretiāre to esteem highly, from Latin pretium prize; compare prize ², precious

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. sing someone's praises, to praise someone publicly and enthusiastically:

   He is always singing his wife's praises.

More idioms and phrases containing praise

In addition to the idiom beginning with praise , also see damn with faint praise ; sing someone's praises .

Synonym Study

See approve.

Example Sentences

Ukrainians fear Trump will cut off military aid for the war against Russia, even as Ukraine’s leader aims to win him over with congratulations and praise.

From Los Angeles Times

People praise Saturday Night Live for its political satire…in spite of how toothless a lot of that satire is.

From Slate

Whatever praise has been heaped upon Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase, Chargers cornerback Kristian Fulton has already heard — and seen — it firsthand.

From Los Angeles Times

That, after all, has long been the approach of Gaetz, a hard-right member of the House since 2016 who is deeply unpopular among his Democratic and Republican colleagues, but has won praise from Trump by being unflinchingly defensive of the former and future president and openly derisive of the various state and federal criminal cases against him.

From Los Angeles Times

A former Tesla executive, Rohan Patel, used X to praise Musk’s “phenomenal” track record in business.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• acclaim
• accolade
• applause
• appreciation
• approval
• cheer
• commendation
• compliment
• cry
• devotion
• esteem
• glory
• kudos
• ovation
• plaudit
• rave
• recognition
• recommendation
• thanks
• tribute