adj
Meaning 1
Offensive to good taste, tactless, overzealous, excessive.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
fulsome
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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fo͝ol'səm
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/ˈfʊlsəm/
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -ʊlsəm
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CMU ARPABET: F UH1 L S AH0 M Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
adj
Meaning 2
Excessively flattering (connoting insincerity).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adj
Meaning 3
Characterised or marked by fullness; abundant, copious.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- The fulsome thanks of the war-torn nation lifted our weary spirits.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adj
Meaning 4
Fully developed; mature.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- Her fulsome timbre resonated throughout the hall.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adjective satellite
Meaning 5
unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating in manner or speech
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- buttery praise
- gave him a fulsome introduction
- an oily sycophantic press agent
- oleaginous hypocrisy
- smarmy self-importance
- the unctuous Uriah Heep
- soapy compliments
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: buttery, oily, oleaginous, smarmy, soapy, unctuous
Antonyms: none provided
History
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.
Across languages
Translations
22 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- German: taktlos — offensive to good taste, tactless, overzealous, excessive
- German: geschmacklos — offensive to good taste, tactless, overzealous, excessive
- German: übereifrig — offensive to good taste, tactless, overzealous, excessive
- German: übertrieben — offensive to good taste, tactless, overzealous, excessive
- German: widerlich — offensive to good taste, tactless, overzealous, excessive
- Middle English: fulsom — offensive to good taste, tactless, overzealous, excessive
- German: schmeichlerisch — excessively flattering (connoting insincerity)
- German: überschwänglich — excessively flattering (connoting insincerity)
- German: anbiedernd — excessively flattering (connoting insincerity)
- German: reichhaltig — abundant, copious
- German: ausgiebig — abundant, copious
- German: reichlich — abundant, copious
- German: weitschweifig — abundant, copious
- German: üppig — abundant, copious
- German: überreichlich — abundant, copious
- German: uneingeschränkt — abundant, copious
- Malayalam: അമിത (amita) — abundant, copious
- Middle English: fulsom — abundant, copious
- German: reif — fully developed, mature
- German: vollentwickelt — fully developed, mature
- German: gereift — fully developed, mature
- German: entwickelt — fully developed, mature