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Adulate means to admire strongly or praise highly with a kind of dopey stupidity, and the ul in adulate means "tail." The idea is that you adulate people while wagging your tail, like a happy, fawning, and rather dumb dog.
So, tail-wagging is the image we should keep in mind if we choose the word adulation instead of, say, ___eration ("respect so high that it's almost worship"), or ____flection ("respect and honor that reminds you of kneeling down in worship"). All three of these have a stronger, more judgmental tone than words like admire, honor, praise, and respect.
make your point with...
"ADULATE"
To adulate things or people is to praise them too much, or admire them too much. In other words, when you adulate people or things, you adore them in an unthinking, uncritical way.
Pronunciation:
ADD juh late
Part of speech:
Transitive verb.
(Like "eat," "try," and "want," all transitive verbs do something to an object.
You eat a banana, try a game, and want a new phone.
Likewise, you adulate something or someone.)
Other forms:
adulated, adulating; adulation; adulator(s) (the person who adulates); adulatory
How to use it:
It's usually people who get adulated: "fans adulated the star." But you can also adulate groups or things: "they adulate the association," "they adulate his basketball talent," "they'll adulate her successes," "they keep adulating the institution of marriage."
Like with the words "praise," "honor," and "respect," someone can be adulated for something or adulated as something: "she's adulated for her fashion choices;" "he's adulated as a saint."
examples:
Howard Stern, labeled a "shock jock" and adulated by many for his vulgarity, pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable on the radio.
H&M's refreshingly feminist ad showcases the beauty and confidence of real women; it's earned plenty of adulatory social media attention, but one blogger has called foul, pointing out that H&M as a company exploits the women working for its supplier factories and that the stores don't even carry the plus-sized garments featured in the ad.
study it now:
Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "adulate" means when you can explain it without saying "adore blindly" or "admire excessively."
try it out:
When you were younger, whom (or what) did you adore or admire in a childishly simple way? Fill in the blanks: "I used to adulate _____ for/as _____."
Example: "We used to adulate The Monkees as the height of musical talent."
before you review:
Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first.
This month, we're playing with rhyming puzzles as we review previous words.
Examples: Someone who belts out songs in church with great gusto has ____ ___. Answer: hymn vim. And the barbecue place where you always meet up with your friends from Dallas and Houston is your _____ _____. Answer: Texas nexus. The puzzles, and their answers, will get longer and sillier as the month goes on. Click or mouse-over the link to the clue if you need it, and see each answer the following day. Enjoy!
From yesterday: Your friend makes hilarious puns, but every time he makes one, he can't stop talking energetically about how awesome it was. That's some __________ ___ ________. (Three words: the first has three syllables, the second has one, and the third has two. Clue: use this word.)
Answer: unflagging pun bragging.
Try this today: At your office, a friend who always wears light, beautiful, silky dresses comes breezing by your desk every morning to update you on all the juicy rumors. She's a ________ ________. (Two words of three syllables each. Clue: use this word.)
review today's word:
1. One opposite of ADULATE is
A. BATE
B. DENIGRATE
C. FABRICATE
2. Before _____, he had millions of adulators.
A. the scandal
B. a friendly rivalry developed
C. his latest album went platinum
Answers are below.
a final word:
To be a sponsor and send your own message to readers of this list, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
Disclaimer: Word meanings presented here are expressed in plain language and are limited to common, useful applications only. Readers interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words are encouraged to check a dictionary. Likewise, word meanings, usage, and pronunciations are limited to American English; these elements may vary across world Englishes.
Answers to review questions:
1. B
2. A
Adulate means to admire strongly or praise highly with a kind of dopey stupidity, and the ul in adulate means "tail." The idea is that you adulate people while wagging your tail, like a happy, fawning, and rather dumb dog.
"ADULATE" To adulate things or people is to praise them too much, or admire them too much. In other words, when you adulate people or things, you adore them in an unthinking, uncritical way. Part of speech:
Howard Stern, labeled a "shock jock" and adulated by many for his vulgarity, pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable on the radio.
Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "adulate" means when you can explain it without saying "adore blindly" or "admire excessively."
When you were younger, whom (or what) did you adore or admire in a childishly simple way? Fill in the blanks: "I used to adulate _____ for/as _____."
Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first.
1. One opposite of ADULATE is
To be a sponsor and send your own message to readers of this list, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
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