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.

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encomium British  

/ ɛnˈkəʊmɪəm /

noun

1. a formal expression of praise; eulogy; panegyric

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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

“It was my first attempt at an autobiographical thing,” Diamond told Rolling Stone of this encomium to an imaginary childhood friend.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2026

Still, there is something uncomfortably obsequious throughout this encomium to Thomas, who sits in review of Thapar’s own rulings.

From Slate ● Jul. 25, 2023

The result is both an encomium and an acknowledgment of music’s progress since the days of Xenakis.

From New York Times ● Mar. 4, 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

Did he at the same time write another encomium and sign it “Ignoto”?

From Bacon and Shakspere by Burr, William Henry

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

These are strong words—but they echo Masterpiece Cakeshop’s encomia to the equal dignity of same-sex couples, simply taking the Supreme Court’s reasoning to its logical endpoint.

From Slate ● Jun. 7, 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 Grigsby, Hugh Blair

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

Not with fuzzy, feel-good encomiums but with a clear-eyed look at his monumental accomplishments and the work still left undone.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 19, 2020

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