plaudit
Americannoun
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an enthusiastic expression of approval.
Her portrayal of Juliet won the plaudits of the critics.
-
a demonstration or round of applause, as for some approved or admired performance.
noun
-
an expression of enthusiastic approval or approbation
-
a round of applause
Etymology
Origin of plaudit
First recorded in 1615–25; earlier plaudite (pronounced as three syllables), from Latin, 2nd person plural imperative of plaudere “to applaud ”
Explanation
As its sound might suggest, plaudit is indeed related to "applaud" and "applause." In fact it's really just a fancy way of saying "praise" or "acclamation." Plaudit is used more in a literary sense than in spoken English, and particularly applies to the reception of a work of art, most notably a play. In fact, the word comes from the Latin plaudite, loudly uttered by Roman actors at the end of a play and meaning "applaud!" Kind of like cue cards for game show audiences now.
Vocabulary lists containing plaudit
300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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The Boys in the Boat
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"Song of Myself" by Walt Whitman (excerpts)
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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.
But by the time the secretary was asked to write that plaudit for TIME, it was pretty clear that he didn’t have much use for the new administration.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
The case for removing the Baton of Honor as an academic plaudit is overwhelming.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 20, 2020
There’s no plaudit that would probably impress someone who won a Pulitzer Prize for criticism in his rookie year as a car critic in 2004, but man, the dude can jam.
From Fox News ● Dec. 31, 2019
Here he's staging an early career retrospective, a plaudit ordinarily reserved for "more elderly, dead or successful artists", as he puts it.
From The Guardian ● Jan. 15, 2011
And the reports of a dozen guns capped the plaudit.
From Colomba by Lady Mary Sophia (Hely-Hutchinson) Loyd
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
