40 Synonyms for Praise

40 Synonyms for Praise 40 Synonyms for Praise 40 Synonyms for Praise By Mark Nichol Last week, I offered a list of synonyms for the word criticize. To avert criticism (admonishment, censure, chastising, and so on), I offer here a roster of synonyms for its antonym, praise, in that word’s verb form as well as when it’s used as a noun. 1. Acclaim: To applaud or praise; also a noun referring to the action of applause or cheering. 2. Acknowledge: To recognize someone or something for services rendered; the word also has the connotation of â€Å"to confirm rights or authority.† 3. Adore: To honor or worship in a religious sense, although its meaning has extended to â€Å"to be fond of, to admire.† 4. Adulate: â€Å"To express excessive praise.† This rarely used verb form of adulation has a connotation of flattery. (See flatter below.) 5. Applaud: To express approval in general, as well as to clap hands or otherwise praise nonverbally. 6. Belaud: To praise, but the sense is of excessive acclaim. 7. Bless: To praise or to glorify in a religious sense; the word also has a secular sense of â€Å"to approve† as well as â€Å"to favor† (the latter in usage such as â€Å"blessed with remarkable talent†). 8. Carol: To praise with song, or in a like manner. 9. Celebrate: To publicly honor in a secular sense as well as a religious one. 10. Chant: A close synonym of carol and hymn. 11. Cheer: To cheer in applause or to express triumph. 12. Cite: To formally call attention to for praise. However, this term also has an opposite meaning of â€Å"to reprimand,† as well as the senses of â€Å"to quote† or â€Å"to refer to,† so the context should be clear. 13. Commemorate: To observe a ceremony of remembrance, or to provide a memorial. 14. Commend: To praise with approval, or to recommend. 15. Compliment: To communicate respect or admiration for someone to that person or another. 16. Crack up: Slang used to refer to someone or something that may or may not be as worthy of praise as previously thought; generally restricted to phrases such as â€Å"not all it’s cracked up to be.† 17. Deify: To glorify, as if to equate the person being praised with a god; this sense coexists with the literal religious sense of according someone the status of a god. 18. Emblazon: Originally meant to inscribe or decorate a heraldic device or bearings; now, the sense is extended to praising, especially in writing, as if to permanently establish the subject as praiseworthy. 19. Eulogize (British English: eulogise): To praise in speech or writing; usually, the connotation is that the subject of praise is deceased. 20. Exalt: To praise extensively. 21. Extol (or extoll): To praise generously. 22. Fete: To honor with a celebration, or to honor in general. 23. Flatter: To praise insincerely or only for selfish motives. The word also has similar senses of â€Å"to depict with excessive favor† or â€Å"to present to one’s advantage,† as well as â€Å"to deceive, as in â€Å"I flatter myself that I acted wisely.† 24. Glorify: To praise with the intent of making the subject appear glorious, but it also means â€Å"to make something or someone seem to be better than it or they really is.† 25. Hail: To greet enthusiastically as a show of approval; the term also has a mundane sense of â€Å"to call or greet.† 26. Honor: To express respect or admiration. 27. Hymn: A close synonym of carol and chant. 28. Idolize: To worship, with a connotation of excessive praise. 29. Laud: To praise; also, capitalized, a religious ceremony. (The adjective form is laudable.) 30. Magnify: To praise, in the sense, as the etymology suggests, of making someone or something appear greater than they or it is. 31. Mention: To identify someone or something for mild praise, often in the form of a consolation prize called â€Å"Honorable Mention.† 32. Rave: To praise enthusiastically. 33. Recognize: To publicly thank someone for their service or otherwise indicate appreciation. 34. Recommend: To endorse or propose as commendable, in addition to the more pedestrian connotations such as â€Å"to advise.† 35. Renown: To offer praise. (In its more common noun form, it means â€Å"fame.†) 36. Resound: To praise, or to become one praised, with the sense of loud approval. The word has an additional sense, more commonly used, of echoing or reverberating. 37. Rhapsodize: To praise excessively, from the noun form, rhapsody, which refers to a literary work that rouses emotions (originally, it denoted recitation of an epic poem). 38. Salute: To praise or honor, in addition to the sense of gesturing to show respect or to otherwise acknowledge someone as a courtesy. 39. Tout: To promote or endorse. It also means â€Å"to spy,† especially in the sense of obtaining information about a racehorse to improve one’s betting odds. 40. Worship: To extravagantly praise, as if the subject were a deity. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:10 Grammar Mistakes You Should AvoidPeople versus PersonsApostrophe with Plural Possessive Nouns