fulsome
Adjective Satellite
- unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating in manner or speech
- "gave him a fulsome introduction"
Adj
- Offensive to good taste, tactless, overzealous, excessive.
- Excessively flattering (connoting insincerity).
- Characterised or marked by fullness; abundant, copious.
- Fully developed; mature.
Adjective
- Excessively complimentary or flattering to the point of being repulsive.
Examples
- Her fulsome timbre resonated throughout the hall.
- His opponent’s fulsome praise for a mediocre word felt insincere.
- The fulsome thanks of the war-torn nation lifted our weary spirits.
Origin / Etymology
From Middle English fulsom, equivalent to full + -some. The meaning has evolved from an original positive connotation "abundant" to a neutral "plump" to a negative "overfed". In modern usage, it can take on any of these inflections. See usage note.
The negative sense "offensive, gross; disgusting, sickening" developed secondarily after the 13th century and was influenced by Middle English foul (“foul”). In the 18th century, the word was sometimes even spelled foulsome.
Scrabble Score: 12
fulsome: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Wordfulsome: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
fulsome: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary
Words With Friends Score: 15
fulsome: valid Words With Friends Word