Word of the Day

: February 26, 2007

fulsome

adjective FULL-sum

What It Means

1 a : characterized by abundance : copious

b : generous in amount, extent, or spirit

2 : exceeding the bounds of good taste : overdone

3 : excessively complimentary or flattering : effusive

fulsome in Context

Stan's praise for Emily was so fulsome it didn't seem sincere.

Did You Know?

There is a lot of confusion about exactly what "fulsome" means. Some critics disapprove of using it in its original "copious" sense because they feel that sense is not negative enough; they say that "fulsome" should always be at least mildly deprecatory. It's true that today "fulsome" is often used pejoratively to describe overly effusive language, but modern English writers still sometimes use it simply to mean "abundant," or occasionally even in contexts where it is complimentary. Some writers go to the more negative extreme, using it for things that are offensive to normal tastes or sensibilities. To avoid misinterpretation, either be sure that the context in which you use the word makes the intended meaning clear or choose a different word.

*Indicates the sense illustrated by the example sentence.