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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.

Yet he also savored the moment, and hinted that he might enjoy the adulation of Chiefs fans a bit longer.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 9, 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

It also meant he could get the dream send-off as Semenyo was substituted with seconds left, allowing him to soak up the adulation from the home supporters as well as applaud them back.

From BBC • Jan. 7, 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

Burdened with a number of small unmanageable packages and unabashed public adulation, he felt obliged to perform.

From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy