adulation

C2+ Topic:Abstract Ideas

US /ˌædʒəˈleɪʃən/ UK /ˌadjʊˈleɪʃən/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like adjuration /l/ vs /r/

noun

Meanings

1

noun
excessive flattery or admiration

The young star was unsettled by the crowd's relentless adulation.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · excessive flattery or... flattery sycophancy fawning worship obsequiousness servility

Opposites

criticism disparagement contempt

Word family

Related forms adulateadulatoradulatory

Etymology

From Old French adulacion, from Latin adulatio ('flattery, fawning'), from adulari ('to fawn upon, flatter'), originally describing a dog wagging its tail.

adulatio Latin adulari Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Abstract Ideas Word Formation & Derivatives

# adulation

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** ˌædʒəˈleɪʃən
**IPA (UK):** ˌadjʊˈleɪʃən

## Meanings
1. excessive flattery or admiration

## Examples
- The young star was unsettled by the crowd's relentless adulation.

## Synonyms
- flattery
- sycophancy
- fawning
- worship
- obsequiousness
- servility

## Antonyms
- criticism
- disparagement
- contempt

## Related Forms
- adulate
- adulator
- adulatory

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: adulatio
- Root: adulari

## Etymology
From Old French adulacion, from Latin adulatio ('flattery, fawning'), from adulari ('to fawn upon, flatter'), originally describing a dog wagging its tail.

## AI Etymology
adulation comes from Old French adulacion, from Latin adulatio ('flattery, fawning'), from adulari ('to fawn upon, flatter'), originally describing a dog wagging its tail. The path is chiefly one of transmission: an older form is taken into English, with the word's shape and meaning carried through the language names and forms preserved in the history. In modern use, the noun sense is "excessive flattery or admiration", which keeps the etymology connected to the word's present dictionary value rather than treating it as a merely historical label. The wider word family includes related English forms such as adulate, adulator, adulatory, showing how the same base continues to support neighboring English vocabulary. The principal historical forms in the chain include Latin adulatio, Latin adulari, which anchor the explanation in named linguistic material.

## Topics
- Abstract Ideas
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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