1
as in to adore
to love or admire too much
it's ridiculous how she adulates that airheaded rock star
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to congratulate
to praise too much
a business executive who unwisely surrounds herself with incompetent assistants who spend all their time adulating her
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of adulate
Turkey’s TB2s became adulated in Ukraine for striking Russian tanks advancing on Kyiv at the start of that war in early 2022.
—
Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adulate
Verb
-
Alexander said the children adore Chapman.—
Graham Womack
May 3,
Sacbee.com,
3 May 2026
-
Hummingbirds adore the red varieties, while native bees and butterflies are always buzzing about the blooms.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
3 May 2026
Verb
-
Sometimes, the crowd at a nearby ballpark will issue a rousing cheer – as if congratulating you on a hike well done.—
John Metcalfe,
Mercury News,
4 May 2026
-
When students redeem their award, the restaurant manager will congratulate them and give them a colorful BJ's Awesome Achievement silicone bracelet.—
Mike Snider,
USA Today,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
But although resistance is similarly futile, their goals are less about assimilation than worshipping the obsessive Grant's wife, Starla (Elizabeth Banks).—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
1 May 2026
-
The task force — which included numerous Cabinet secretaries — didn't accuse the Biden administration of any large pattern of suppressing churches themselves or the right to worship.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
Birds aren’t the only ones who love this design; many reviewers can’t stop praising its functionality and aesthetic.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
2 May 2026
-
Some of Will and Kate's Instagram followers picked up on the polish, praising the parents for allowing their daughter to buck unspoken traditions that call for muted, demure nails.—
Emily Tannenbaum,
Glamour,
2 May 2026
Verb
-
Melvin likes to use thrifted trays to hold jewelry.—
Sarah Lyon,
Southern Living,
6 May 2026
-
In 1991 — peak Captain Planet and the Planeteers — Turner won the Audubon medal from the National Audubon Society, a conservation group that really likes birds.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
Was any draft decision of this team’s past quarter-century applauded more than Tua Tagovailoa over Justin Herbert?—
Dave Hyde,
Sun Sentinel,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The audience laughed and applauded.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Other media moguls also commended Turner for his lasting impact on the TV business.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
6 May 2026
-
Vogue's hosts asked her on the carpet, later commending her dedication to fashion, art and costume.—
Dalila Muata,
NBC news,
5 May 2026
Verb
-
The result is sometimes overpraising, overprotection, and overindulging children, mixing emotional intensity with economic privilege in ways that breed entitlement.—
Christine Michel Carter,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
-
Know-nothings pretend that Schrader’s Bressonian mannerisms reveal the spiritual depths of contemporary crisis, when, in fact, Master Gardener repeats the same social-collapse paranoia that made secular reviewers overpraise the religious, racial, suicide-bomber topics of First Reformed.—
Armond White,
National Review,
24 May 2023
Cite this Entry
“Adulate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adulate. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
