encomium

American  

[en-koh-mee-uhm] / ɛnˈkoʊ mi əm /

noun

• encomiums,
  plural
• encomia
  plural

1. a formal expression of high praise; eulogy.

   An encomium by the president greeted the returning hero.

---

encomium British  

/ ɛnˈkəʊmɪəm /

noun

1. a formal expression of praise; eulogy; panegyric

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• encomia
  plural
• encomiums
  plural

Etymology

Origin of encomium

First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin, from Greek enkṓmion, equivalent to en- en- ² + kôm(os) “a revel” + -ion noun suffix

Explanation

An encomium is a fancy word for a formal speech or piece of writing that warmly praises someone or something. Encomium comes from the Greek word enkomion which, in a nutshell, is to honor someone or something at a party in a poetic speech. It used to refer to the song for the winner of the Olympic Games, sung at a victory celebration. You might hear an encomium at a retirement party, after you publish a fabulous book, or even at a funeral (a eulogy, or speech at a funeral about the person who died, is a kind of encomium). It's pronounced with a long O, en-CO-mium.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

encomium encomia encomiums

“Part of the beauty of Mal is that you hear the struggle,” said pianist Ethan Iverson, who has penned a poignant encomium on Waldron’s musical journey.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 30, 2022

The director is Reginald Hudlin, but, in tone and temperament, this lovingly assembled encomium is peak Oprah Winfrey.

From New York Times ● Sep. 22, 2022

Granted, those who claim the authority to instruct the rest of us on what deserves that encomium missed its true significance.

From Salon ● Feb. 29, 2020

Certainly there was no evidence in its encomium to Koch.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2019

No one of them could do anything poorly enough to get anything but a warm encomium.

From Revisiting the Earth by James Langdon Hill

CUMMING, Ga. – In a barn 40 miles north of downtown Atlanta, after barbecue was served and local dignitaries basted each other with encomia, Gov. Brian Kemp got down to brass tacks.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 19, 2022

The decision will be modest and fact-oriented, a far cry from the sweeping encomia to dignity that Kennedy preferred.

From Slate ● Oct. 2, 2018

It has already been translated into six languages and is published with dust-jacket encomia from Russell Brand, Susan Sarandon, Brian Eno, Helena Kennedy QC and Paul Mason.

From The Guardian ● Dec. 13, 2016

A Juilliard ensemble played a Haydn string quartet, and later Alfred published a collection of encomia.

From The New Yorker ● Apr. 11, 2016

The newspapers and my Virginian friends have done me irreparable mischief in the too lavish encomia they have bestowed upon my speech, as you call it.

From Discourse of the Life and Character of the Hon. Littleton Waller Tazewell by Hugh Blair Grigsby

What wasn’t mentioned in the encomiums showered on Greenspan after his passing at age 100 this past week, was the very different backdrop during his tenure, especially compared with what Warsh faces today.

From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026

President Trump’s State of the Union address was full of patriotic spectacle, and it was moving in its encomiums to the country’s military heroes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 25, 2026

Alabama had 32 chart-topping country singles between 1980 and 1993, including encomiums to rural pride like “Tennessee River” and “Mountain Music.”

From New York Times ● Nov. 11, 2022

These encomiums stood in stark contrast to Harlan’s reputation among many of his contemporaries and later generations of legal chroniclers.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 14, 2021

I was expecting a stodgy, older gentleman who’d offer me canned encomiums about Hopkins and then stiffen and ask for the check when he found out the details of my standardized test scores.

From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore