adulate

[aj-uh-leyt]

See more synonyms for adulate on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), ad·u·lat·ed, ad·u·lat·ing.

to show excessive admiration or devotion to; flatter or admire servilely.

Origin of adulate

First recorded in 1770–80; back formation from adulation

Related formsad·u·la·tion, nounad·u·la·tor, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for adulate

fawn, gush, praise, worship, brown-nose

Examples from the Web for adulate

Historical Examples of adulate

It is true, people are permitted to adulate slavery—so they are allowed to adulate kings, where kings reign.
Continental Monthly, Vol. II. July, 1862. No. 1.
Various
She whom such songs were meant to adulate or win, frequently was the wife of the Troubadours lord.
The Mediaeval Mind (Volume I of II)
Henry Osborn Taylor

British Dictionary definitions for adulate

adulate

verb

(tr) to flatter or praise obsequiously

Derived Formsadulator, noun

Word Origin for adulate

C17: back formation from C15 adulation, from Latin adūlāri to flatter

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

Word Origin and History for adulate

1777, back-formation from adulation.