praise

[preyz] /preɪz/
noun
1.
the act of expressing approval or admiration; commendation; laudation.
2.
the offering of grateful homage in words or song, as an act of worship:
a hymn of praise to God.
3.
the state of being approved or admired:
The king lived in praise for many years.
4.
Archaic. a ground for praise, or a merit.
verb (used with object), praised, praising.
5.
to express approval or admiration of; commend; extol.
6.
to offer grateful homage to (God or a deity), as in words or song.
Idioms
7.
sing someone's praises, to praise someone publicly and enthusiastically:
He is always singing his wife's praises.
Origin
1175-1225; (v.) Middle English preisen < Old French preisier to value, prize < Late Latin pretiāre, derivative of Latin pretium price, worth, reward; (noun) Middle English, derivative of the v.; see prize2
Related forms
praiseful, adjective
praisefully, adverb
praiseless, adjective
praiser, noun
half-praised, adjective
half-praising, adjective
outpraise, verb (used with object), outpraised, outpraising.
repraise, verb (used with object), repraised, repraising.
self-praise, noun
self-praising, adjective
superpraise, noun, verb (used with object), superpraised, superpraising.
unpraised, adjective
unpraiseful, adjective
unpraising, adjective
Synonyms
1. acclamation, plaudit, applause, approbation, compliment. 2. encomium, eulogy, panegyric. 5. laud, applaud, eulogize. See approve. 6. glorify, exalt, honor.
Antonyms
1. condemnation. 5. depreciate.
Examples from the web for praise
  • Like faint praise, anonymous criticism is empty criticism.
  • And rewards and praise would still be in place, since we want to encourage this kind of behaviour in those capable of it.
  • They are usually gushing with praise.
  • But, for all the praise, her sonnet had slipped from view.
  • Just stopping by to praise you for the wonderful read.
  • In his own time, at least, Oxford's poetry won praise.
  • Both companies have come in for criticism and for praise to the extent that they deserve it.
  • Hand-written correspondence still carries some weight as a tangible bit of praise for good service.
  • They want praise no matter how badly their paper stinks.
  • His fiction offers a sympathetic portrayal of working-class life and praise of revolution.
British Dictionary definitions for praise

praise

/preɪz/
noun
1.
the act of expressing commendation, admiration, etc
2.
the extolling of a deity or the rendering of homage and gratitude to a deity
3.
the condition of being commended, admired, etc
4.
(archaic) the reason for praise
5.
sing someone's praises, to commend someone highly
verb (transitive)
6.
to express commendation, admiration, etc, for
7.
to proclaim or describe the glorious attributes of (a deity) with homage and thanksgiving
Derived Forms
praiser, noun
Word Origin
C13: from Old French preisier, from Late Latin pretiāre to esteem highly, from Latin pretium prize; compare prize², precious
Word Origin and History for praise
v.

c.1300, "to laud, commend, flatter," from Old French preisier, variant of prisier "to praise, value," from Late Latin preciare, earlier pretiare (see price (n.)). Replaced Old English lof, hreþ.

Specifically with God as an object from late 14c. Related: Praised; praising. Now a verb in most Germanic languages (German preis, Danish pris, etc.), but only in English is it differentiated in form from cognate price.

n.

early 14c., not common until 16c., from praise (v.).

Idioms and Phrases with praise

praise

In addition to the idiom beginning with
praise
also see: