praise

[ preyz ]

/ preɪz /

|||

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR praise ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act of expressing approval or admiration; commendation; laudation.

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), praised, prais·ing.

to express approval or admiration of; commend; extol.

to offer grateful homage to (God or a deity), as in words or song.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

prairie wolf, prairie, the, prairie-dogging, prairies, prairillon, praiseful, praise god, from whom all blessings flow, praise to the skies, praiseworthy, prajadhipok, prajapati

Idioms

sing someone's praises, to praise someone publicly and enthusiastically: He is always singing his wife's praises.

Origin of praise

1175–1225; (v.) Middle English preisen < Old French preisier to value, prize < Late Latin pretiāre, derivative of Latin pretium price, worth, reward; (noun) Middle English, derivative of the v.; see prize²

SYNONYMS FOR praise

1 acclamation, plaudit, applause, approbation, compliment.

2 encomium, eulogy, panegyric.

5 laud, applaud, eulogize.

6 glorify, exalt, honor.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR praise ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR praise

1 condemnation.

5 depreciate.

SEE MORE ANTONYMS FOR praise ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

praise·ful, adjectivepraise·ful·ly, adverbpraise·less, adjectiveprais·er, noun

half-praised, adjectivehalf-prais·ing, adjectiveout·praise, verb (used with object), out·praised, out·prais·ing.re·praise, verb (used with object), re·praised, re·prais·ing.self-praise, nounself-prais·ing, adjectivesu·per·praise, noun, verb (used with object), su·per·praised, su·per·prais·ing.un·praised, adjectiveun·praise·ful, adjectiveun·prais·ing, adjective

Synonym study

5. See approve.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for praiseful

For still, as she tells me, he speaks kind and praiseful things of me.
Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)|Samuel Richardson
At this point I strike out some other praiseful things which I was tempted to add.
Following the Equator, Complete|Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
He said praiseful and appreciative things about the girl, but didn't dwell upon that detail or make it prominent.
The American Claimant|Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
"Best woman driver I ever saw," was the senator's praiseful rejoinder.
The Honorable Senator Sage-Brush|Francis Lynde

Help us to see Thy name on blessings that we never recognized, so that we may now be praiseful where we have been indifferent.
The Whole Armour of God|John Henry Jowett

British Dictionary definitions for praiseful

praise

/ (preɪz) /

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

sing someone's praises to commend someone highly

verb (tr)

to express commendation, admiration, etc, for

to proclaim or describe the glorious attributes of (a deity) with homage and thanksgiving

Derived Formspraiser, noun

Word Origin for praise

C13: from Old French preisier, from Late Latin pretiāre to esteem highly, from Latin pretium prize; compare prize ², precious

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

Word Origin and History for praiseful (1 of 2)

praise

c.1300, "to laud, commend, flatter," from Old French preisier, variant of prisier "to praise, value," from Late Latin preciare, earlier pretiare (see price (n.)). Replaced Old English lof, hreþ.

Specifically with God as an object from late 14c. Related: Praised; praising. Now a verb in most Germanic languages (German preis, Danish pris, etc.), but only in English is it differentiated in form from cognate price.

Word Origin and History for praiseful (1 of 2)

praise

early 14c., not common until 16c., from praise (v.).

Idioms and Phrases with praiseful

praise

In addition to the idiom beginning with praise

praise to the skies

also see:

damn with faint praise
sing someone's praises