adulation

from WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)
adulation
    n 1: servile flattery; exaggerated and hypocritical praise
    
from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Adulation \Ad`u*la"tion\, n. [F. adulation, fr. L. adulatio, fr.
   adulari, adulatum, to flatter.]
   Servile flattery; praise in excess, or beyond what is
   merited.
   [1913 Webster]

         Think'st thou the fiery fever will go out
         With titles blown from adulation?        --Shak.
   [1913 Webster]

   Syn: Sycophancy; cringing; fawning; obsequiousness;
        blandishment.

   Usage: {Adulation}, {Flattery}, {Compliment}. Men deal in
          compliments from a desire to please; they use flattery
          either from undue admiration, or a wish to gratify
          vanity; they practice adulation from sordid motives,
          and with a mingled spirit of falsehood and hypocrisy.
          Compliment may be a sincere expression of due respect
          and esteem, or it may be unmeaning; flattery is apt to
          become gross; adulation is always servile, and usually
          fulsome.
          [1913 Webster]
    
from Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
56 Moby Thesaurus words for "adulation":
      acclaim, accolade, apotheosis, applause, bepraisement,
      blandishment, blarney, bunkum, cajolement, cajolery, compliment,
      congratulation, deification, eloge, encomium, eulogium, eulogy,
      exaltation, excessive praise, eyewash, fair words, fawning,
      flattery, glorification, glory, grease, hero worship, homage,
      hommage, honeyed phrases, honeyed words, honor, idolatry,
      idolizing, incense, kudos, laud, laudation, lionizing,
      magnification, meed of praise, oil, overpraise, paean, palaver,
      panegyric, praise, pretty lies, soap, soft soap, sweet nothings,
      sweet talk, sweet words, sycophancy, tribute, wheedling

    

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