praise
Americannoun
-
the act of expressing approval or admiration; commendation; laudation.
- Synonyms:
- compliment, approbation, applause, plaudit, acclamation
- Antonyms:
- condemnation
-
the offering of grateful homage in words or song, as an act of worship.
a hymn of praise to God.
-
the state of being approved or admired.
The king lived in praise for many years.
-
Archaic. a ground for praise, or a merit.
verb (used with object)
idioms
noun
-
the act of expressing commendation, admiration, etc
-
the extolling of a deity or the rendering of homage and gratitude to a deity
-
the condition of being commended, admired, etc
-
archaic the reason for praise
-
to commend someone highly
verb
-
to express commendation, admiration, etc, for
-
to proclaim or describe the glorious attributes of (a deity) with homage and thanksgiving
Related Words
See approve.
Other Word Forms
- half-praised adjective
- half-praising adjective
- outpraise verb (used with object)
- praiseful adjective
- praisefully adverb
- praiseless adjective
- praiser noun
- repraise verb (used with object)
- self-praise noun
- self-praising adjective
- superpraise noun
- unpraised adjective
- unpraiseful adjective
- unpraising adjective
Etymology
Origin of praise
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English verb preisen, from Old French preisier “to value, prize,” from Late Latin pretiāre, derivative of Latin pretium “worth, reward” ( price ); noun derivative of the verb
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.
The 23-year-old was singled out for praise by Clarke after the game, despite himself admitting he struggled to get into the contest early on.
From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026
Surfshark earns praise for its ease of use, stability and affordability.
From Salon • Mar. 27, 2026
A month after banning raw lithium exports, Zimbabwe is tightening its regulations and ramping up its crackdown on mineral smuggling in a major shake-up that is winning local praise even as it stirs concerns.
From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026
The resolution itself singles out for praise, by name, the accusers who have come forward.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026
“I don’t understand it. What can there be in a simple little story like that to make people praise it so?” she said, quite bewildered.
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
