accolade

American  

[ak-uh-leyd, -lahd] / ˈæk əˌleɪd, -ˌlɑd /

noun

• accolades
  plural

1. any award, honor, or laudatory notice.

   The play received accolades from the press.

2. a light touch on the shoulder with the flat side of the sword or formerly by an embrace, done in the ceremony of conferring knighthood.

3. the ceremony itself.

4. Music. a brace joining several staves.

5. Architecture.

   1. an archivolt or hood molding having more or less the form of an ogee arch.

   2. a decoration having more or less the form of an ogee arch, cut into a lintel or flat arch.

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accolade British  

/ ˈækəˌleɪd, ˌækəˈleɪd /

noun

1. strong praise or approval; acclaim

2. an award or honour

3. the ceremonial gesture used to confer knighthood, originally an embrace, now a touch on the shoulder with a sword

4. a rare word for brace

5. architect a curved ornamental moulding, esp one having the shape of an ogee arch

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Usage

What is an accolade? An accolade is an award, honor, or instance of positive acknowledgment or praise. The word is typically used in the context of honors and praise that have been given to a person throughout their professional career. It is especially used to refer to prestigious awards and honors that not many people receive. The adjective accoladed can be used to describe a person who has received many accolades, but the term is rarely used. The word accolade is also used in a few technical ways in the context of music and architecture. Example: It would take too long to list her many accolades, which range from professional awards to humanitarian honors to public messages of praise from her peers in the field.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• accoladed
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• accolades
  plural

Etymology

Origin of accolade

First recorded in 1615–25; from French, derivative of accolée “embrace” (with -ade -ade ¹ ), noun use of feminine past participle of Old French accoler, verb derivative of col “neck” ( see collar), with a- a- ⁵

Explanation

A knight being honored with the tap of a sword blade was the earliest form of accolade. Today, an accolade is more than a way to bestow knighthood: It is a form of praise or an award. In the early 17th century, the French accoler meant "to embrace the neck," which was done as part of a knighthood ceremony. By the 19th century, accolade came to mean "award." A person who achieves a goal in research or service may receive an official certificate or a medal as an accolade of achievement. A performer or speaker might get accolades in the form of applause from the audience. Rarely do these types of accolades involve a sword.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

accolade accolades

The Slovenian will be trying to win the red jersey overall - and with it the accolade of winning all three Grand Tours in the sport, along with most of the sport's biggest one-day races.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026

A second Ballon d'Or does not seem out of reach, although he has perhaps not played enough club football to make him the favourite for the individual accolade in a stacked field.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

But for range and ambition, John Dos Passos’ three-volume magnum opus makes a claim to the accolade.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

Months later he became a Super Bowl winner - the highest accolade an NFL player can achieve.

From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026

What a fine accolade for his legend, Lazlo thought with a twinge of bitterness: Thyon Nero, deliverer from shadow.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

If industry accolades and positive responses aren’t a measure of success, one can surmise that Netflix no longer cares if its users enjoy what they’re watching, only that they keep watching.

From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2026

He says he tries to promote responsible riding but that it is demotivating when "other people are getting a lot of views and getting more accolades for doing the wrong thing".

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

Muluh, who has won multiple accolades in the sport, went on to say she did not feel welcome at the event in Lithuania.

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026

“But she stuck with her practice when she wasn’t getting accolades, wasn’t famous, and remained absolutely fearless in her willingness to take on the most significant challenges of our time.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026

Perhaps he had be come frustrated watching his boyhood chum collect accolades and public acclaim for his marvelous engineering while complacently performing atrocious physics.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Related Words

• distinction
• kudos