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
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half-praisedadjective
-
half-praisingadjective
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outpraiseverb (used with object)
-
praisefuladjective
-
praisefullyadverb
-
praiselessadjective
-
praisernoun
-
repraiseverb (used with object)
-
self-praisenoun
-
self-praisingadjective
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superpraisenoun
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unpraisedadjective
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unpraisefuladjective
-
unpraisingadjective
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” ( see price); noun derivative of the verb
Explanation
Praise means "admiration or approval," and when you're on the receiving end of it, you feel great. Whether it's used as a verb or a noun, praise means "approval." If you enthusiastically praise your dog, he's likely to wag his tail and expect a treat. What you've given him (in addition to the treat) is praise, the noun. In a religious context, the verb praise is interchangeable with worship, as when a minister says, "Praise God."
Vocabulary lists containing praise
"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act I
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Beowulf vocabulary
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"The Tragedy of Macbeth," Vocabulary from Act 1
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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.
Yet Salieri is the role that tends to draw the most critical praise and award notices.
From Salon • May 16, 2026
And if my word count were double, they’d get individual praise for setting the room up perfectly.
From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026
After news of Makary’s departure Tuesday, some of his supporters took to X to praise him.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026
Former Villa striker Dion Dublin gave Buendia praise and feels he offers something different.
From BBC • May 7, 2026
We continued tossing the disc for Lumpy, showering him with praise every time he returned with the toy.
From "Keep It Together, Keiko Carter" by Debbi Michiko Florence
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.
