Dictionary Definition
adulation n : servile flattery; exaggerated and
hypocritical praise
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Etymology
From adulatio.Pronunciation
- a UK /ˈædˌjʊu.leɪ.ʃǝn/ /"
Extensive Definition
Flattery or adulation is the
act of giving excessive compliments, generally for the purpose of
ingratiating oneself with the subject. Flattery often, but not
always, connotes insincerity.
Historically, flattery has
been used as a standard form of discourse when addressing a
king or queen. In
the Renaissance, it
was a common practice among writers to flatter the reigning
monarch, as Edmund
Spenser flattered Queen
Elizabeth I in The
Faerie Queene and William
Shakespeare flattered King
James I in Macbeth.
Flattery is also used in
pick-up
lines used to attempt to initiate romantic
courtship.
Most associations with
flattery, however, are negative. Flatterers are sometimes described
by pejorative phrases, such as "suck-up", "ass-kisser", or
"brown-noser". Negative descriptions of flattery range at least as
far back in history as The
Bible.
An insincere flatterer is a
stock
character in many literary works. Examples include Wormtongue
from J. R. R.
Tolkien's The
Lord of the Rings, Goneril and
Regan from
King
Lear, and Iago from Othello.
"To flatter" is also used to
refer to artwork or clothing that makes the subject or wearer
appear more attractive, as in:
-
- The King was pleased with the portrait, as it was very flattering of his girth.
- I think I'll wear the green dress because it flatters my legs.
See also
- Shakespeare's sonnets#Dedication to Mr. W.H.
- The Faerie Queene
- Flattering colors
- Cape Flattery, disambiguation page,
- Blarney Stone
External links
adulation in Portuguese:
Adulação
Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Words
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