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excessive devotion to someone; servile flattery.
contemporary examples

it’s true that berman’s view of her subject is adulatory, even gushy.
hugh hefner’s legacy richard porton july 28, 2010

mcchrystal has lately been the subject of numerous media profiles, most of them adulatory.
gen. mcchrystal’s credibility problem jon krakauer october 13, 2009

historical examples

although not handsome, his face called for an adulatory responsiveness on the part of those who came in contact with him.
edith and john franklin s. farquhar

these verses have been disparaged as too adulatory in their tone.
the oxford reformers frederic seebohm

the adulatory phrases used as mere conventionalities seemed to have actually turned his head.
charles the bold ruth putnam

demochares, then, has said all this about the adulatory spirit and conduct of the athenians.
the deipnosophists, or banquet of the learned of athenus athenus

luca pulci, the descendant of an ancient house of tuscan n-bles, composed an adulatory poem in octave stanzas on this event.
renaissance in italy: italian literature john addington symonds

if they seem to us to-day flattering not to say adulatory, it must be remembered that such was the mode.
the complete poems of sir john davies. volume 1 of 2. john davies

a murmur of adulatory incredulity arose from the group of courtiers.
the vicomte de bragelonne alexandre dumas

he was then publishing his ‘typhon, or the gigantomachy,’ and dedicated it to the cardinal, with an adulatory sonnet.
the wits and beaux of society grace wharton and philip wharton

adjective
expressing praise, esp obsequiously; flattering
noun
obsequious flattery or praise; extreme admiration
n.

late 14c., “insincere praise,” from old french adulacion, from latin adulationem (nominative adulatio) “a fawning; flattery, cringing courtesy,” noun of action from past participle stem of aduliari “to flatter,” from ad- “to” (see ad-) + ulos “tail,” from pie -ul- “the tail” (cf. sanskrit valah “tail,” lithuanian valai “horsehair of the tail”). the original notion is “to wag the tail” like a fawning dog (cf. greek sainein “to wag the tail,” also “to flatter;” see also wheedle).