ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary BuilderWordsFfulsome
ISEE/SSAThard
fulsome
Meaning: excessive, exaggerated, or insincere in praise or flattery
fulsome in a sentence
How fulsome is used in real sentences:
The fulsome introduction praised the speaker so extravagantly that the audience grew uncomfortable.
The candidate's fulsome tribute to the principal seemed designed more to win favor than to show respect.
“Merchants excluded from office appeared dejected after their disappointment, while successful candidates sometimes offered fulsome compliments so extravagantly flattering that their sincerity was doubtful.”
— from the passage Beyond the Gates
“One editor offered fulsome praise, calling magistrates unmatched guardians of justice while his paper received lucrative county printing contracts.”
— from the passage The Sealed County Papers
“The vault's opening drew fulsome tributes from officials, whose praise made the project sound incapable of error.”
— from the passage The Thawing Refuge
Synonyms for fulsome
Other words for fulsome — effusive, overblown, fawning and unctuous — carry the same meaning.
Antonyms of fulsome
Words that mean the opposite of fulsome:
- restrained
- sincere
- measured
Where it comes from
From Middle English fulsom 'abundant' (full + -some); later 'excessive, cloying'.
Memory hook
Fulsome praise is too full: so packed with flattery that it spills over.