Adulation

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Adulation \Ad`u*la"tion\, n. [F. adulation, fr. L. adulatio, fr.
     adulari, adulatum, to flatter.]
     Servile flattery; praise in excess, or beyond what is
     merited.
     [1913 Webster]
  


           Think'st thou the fiery fever will go out
           With titles blown from adulation?        --Shak.
     [1913 Webster]
  
     Syn: Sycophancy; cringing; fawning; obsequiousness;
          blandishment.
  
     Usage: {Adulation}, {Flattery}, {Compliment}. Men deal in
            compliments from a desire to please; they use flattery
            either from undue admiration, or a wish to gratify
            vanity; they practice adulation from sordid motives,
            and with a mingled spirit of falsehood and hypocrisy.
            Compliment may be a sincere expression of due respect
            and esteem, or it may be unmeaning; flattery is apt to
            become gross; adulation is always servile, and usually
            fulsome.
            [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  adulation
       n : servile flattery; exaggerated and hypocritical praise

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  56 Moby Thesaurus words for "adulation":
     acclaim, accolade, apotheosis, applause, bepraisement,
     blandishment, blarney, bunkum, cajolement, cajolery, compliment,
     congratulation, deification, eloge, encomium, eulogium, eulogy,
     exaltation, excessive praise, eyewash, fair words, fawning,
     flattery, glorification, glory, grease, hero worship, homage,
     hommage, honeyed phrases, honeyed words, honor, idolatry,
     idolizing, incense, kudos, laud, laudation, lionizing,
     magnification, meed of praise, oil, overpraise, paean, palaver,
     panegyric, praise, pretty lies, soap, soft soap, sweet nothings,
     sweet talk, sweet words, sycophancy, tribute, wheedling