ADULATE Synonyms: 80 Similar and Opposite Words

adulate

verb

Definition of adulate

as in to adore

to love or admire too much it's ridiculous how she adulates that airheaded rock star

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for adulate

Verb

Jet Fans of the New York Jets will adore this slick moniker for a tiny tyke.

— Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 1 Sep. 2026
Market on Close The analyst corps that covers Nvidia is mostly adoring.

— Michael Santoli, CNBC, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of adore

Verb

Jolly, who’s been campaigning against divisiveness in politics, issued a statement congratulating Avila shortly after Tuesday’s announcement.

— Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 25 Aug. 2026
In the letter, written after Eminem was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022, Parton congratulated the artist on the honor and praised his performance that night.

— Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of congratulate

Verb

Shankara advises that worshipping gods with names and stories through devotional rituals and sacred images (murtis) is an acceptable step for some people on the path toward a more philosophical understanding of an all-pervasive ultimate reality.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026
She was promoted to worship leader, a job typically held by an older member of the church.

— CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of worship

Verb

The scholar of religion Friedrich Max Müller (1823–1900) noticed that many Vedic hymns praise different deities using the same superlatives and ascribe to them the same mythological feats.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026
Head coach Willie Simmons praised his team’s athleticism and talent through fall camp, while emphasizing the X’s and O’s with the season opener approaching.

— Alejandro Hernandez, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of praise

Verb

Right now the only person who likes Heather is Carmella, and that’s because Heather is throwing some work Carmella’s way and trying to find a law school apartment for her daughter Cat.

— Brian Moylan, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
Nvidia reported blowout financial results on Wednesday , giving Wall Street analysts even more reasons to like its stock.

— Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of like

Verb

Mamdani applauded police for stopping the attack but said an internal investigation would be conducted.

— Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 1 Sep. 2026
Whatever our party affiliation or political views, Americans should appreciate Roosevelt’s ingenuity, determination and confidence and applaud Eisenhower’s competence, planning and stewardship.

— John T. Shaw, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of applaud

Verb

Pawsitive Tails Dog Rescue posted on Facebook commending the work of volunteers who banded together to care for the dogs.

— Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 21 Aug. 2026
The music department, as well as Courcol’s lively directing and writing, must be commended for scenes of the brass ensemble playing and rehearsing, in a constantly dynamic interaction with dialogue.

— Caspar Salmon, Variety, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of commend

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
As in the case of that picture, East of Eden is backed up by masterful screen storytelling that can hardly be overpraised and is complicated by no message that can be termed controversial.

— Jack Moffitt, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Mar. 2023

Definition of overpraise

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“Adulate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adulate. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of adulate

verb

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