Adulates

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To praise someone in an exaggerated or insincere way to gain favor
2. To flatter or compliment someone excessively, often to influence them
3. To give excessive admiration or approval, usually with the aim of winning goodwill

Etymology: "Adulates" is the third-person singular form of "adulate," meaning to praise someone excessively, usually with fawning flattery. The verb comes from Latin "adūlārī," which meant to fawn upon or flatter, especially in the manner of a dog wagging its tail at its master. English took it directly from the Latin as a learned borrowing, so it reached the language through scholarship and writing rather than everyday speech. The Latin root "adūlārī" is built on the prefix "ad-," meaning "toward," with a base connected to the idea of servile fawning. The Latin verb carried this physical, almost animal sense of obsequiousness, which English retains in the verb's emphasis on excessive, insincere praise. The formal, bookish quality of the word is a direct result of its path into English through Latin.

Synonyms: idolizes, worships, praises, flatter, exalts

Antonyms: criticizes, disparages, denigrates, condemns, scorns