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Even though full is usually a positive word, fulsome can have pejorative connotations in phrases like "fulsome praise," where it is often taken to mean “effusive, excessive, or insincere praise.” A phrase like "a fulsome apology" is likely to be ambiguous: some may think it means "a complete apology," while others may think it means "an ...
If you describe expressions of praise, apology, or gratitude as fulsome, you disapprove of them because they are exaggerated and elaborate, so that they sound insincere.
Nov 3, 2014 · But M-W cautions that the “chief danger for the user of fulsome is ambiguity,” and unless “the context is made very clear, the reader or hearer cannot be sure whether such an expression as ‘fulsome praise’ is meant” in the sense of “abundant” or “excessive.”
If you describe expressions of praise, apology, or gratitude as fulsome, you disapprove of them because they are exaggerated and elaborate, so that they sound insincere.
If you describe expressions of praise, apology, or gratitude as fulsome, you disapprove of them because they are exaggerated and elaborate, so that they sound insincere.
Two of the traditional senses of fulsome are (1) offensively, excessively flattering, and (2) excessive in a distasteful way. In both these senses, the adjective is usually negative. A fulsome piece of music, for instance, might be one that is overloud and too busy-sounding.
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Mar 15, 2010 · The problem is that the intended meaning of “fulsome apology” or “fulsome praise” isn’t clear. The word may be being used in a complimentary sense, or in an insulting one. The Oxford Dictionary maintains that the negative sense of the word is the correct one.
