adulation
noun
ad·u·la·tion
ˌa-jə-ˈlā-shən 
-dyə,
-də-
: extreme or excessive admiration or flattery
Celebrities often feed off the adulation of fans, but that acclaim can be fleeting and illusory.—
Ruben Castenada
Ruben CastenadaDuring the campaign, he basked in the adulation of his fans and emphasized the promises that drew the biggest applause and the most retweets …—Peter Coy
Peter Coy… she thought he'd be an egomaniac, spoiled by fame and public adulation.—Maureen Callahan
Maureen Callahan… is only starting to reach the level of popular and critical adulation that bands work their entire lives to achieve …—Steve Kandell
Steve KandellHe had not fully understood his achievement until he returned home to an outpouring of adulation from local media.—David Müller
David Müller
Did you know?
If adulation makes you think of a dog panting after its beloved person, you're on the right etymological track; the word ultimately comes from the Latin verb adūlārī, meaning "to fawn on" (a sense used specifically of the affectionate behavior of dogs) or "to praise insincerely." Adulation has been in use in English since the 15th century. The verb adulate, noun adulator, and adjective adulatory later followed dutifully behind.
Synonyms
Examples of adulation in a Sentence
The rugby player enjoyed the adulation of his fans.
a writer who inspires adulation in her readers
Recent Examples on the Web
No one deserved to bask in the glow of adulation more.
—Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 4 Nov. 2024
The actor arrived at the Washington Square Park event in New York on October 27 to the adulation of a large crowd, kicking off an online meme whirlwind.
—Callum Booth, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024
No amount of money, power, or adulation could ever satisfy Greeks suffering from pleonexia.
—David Lay Williams, TIME, 2 Oct. 2024
For most of his career, however, Mr. Stella rode a wave of adulation and stupendous commercial success, buoyed by dozens of one-man shows and retrospectives at museums around the world.
—William Grimes, New York Times, 4 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for adulation 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 4 Nov. 2024
The actor arrived at the Washington Square Park event in New York on October 27 to the adulation of a large crowd, kicking off an online meme whirlwind.
—Callum Booth, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024
No amount of money, power, or adulation could ever satisfy Greeks suffering from pleonexia.
—David Lay Williams, TIME, 2 Oct. 2024
For most of his career, however, Mr. Stella rode a wave of adulation and stupendous commercial success, buoyed by dozens of one-man shows and retrospectives at museums around the world.
—William Grimes, New York Times, 4 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for adulation
Dictionary Entries Near adulation
Cite this Entry
“Adulation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adulation. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share