Word of the Day

: February 9, 2012

adulation

noun aj-uh-LAY-shun

What It Means

: excessive or slavish admiration or flattery

adulation in Context

The star was somewhat embarrassed by the adulation of his teenage fans.

"I think that I was somebody who was pretty immature emotionally, and when thrust into a situation that was very abnormal of fame and adulation, I wasn't really equipped to deal with it very well. And I think my life goals up to that point were just: get a record deal…." -- Musician Trent Reznor in a December 19, 2011 interview on National Public Radio

Did You Know?

If "adulation" makes you think of a dog panting after its master, you're on the right etymological track; the word ultimately derives from the Latin verb "adulari," meaning "to fawn on" (a sense used specifically of the affectionate behavior of dogs) or "to flatter." "Adulation," which came to us from Latin by way of Old French, can be traced back as far as the 14th century in English. The verb "adulate," the noun "adulator," and the adjective "adulatory" later joined the language.