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- The word has both positive and negative meanings, so context is key Fulsome is a troublesome word. And it's also a word that represents the rare case in which dictionaries have made the word’s meaning more confusing rather than more clear.
www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/fulsome
ˈfü (l)səm. chiefly Scottish. : disgusting, fulsome. Word History. Etymology. Middle English foulsom, alteration (influenced by foul) of fulsom fulsome. Love words? You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.
Fulsome is a troublesome word. And it's also a word that represents the rare case in which dictionaries have made the word’s meaning more confusing rather than more clear.
Jul 3, 2024 · foulsome (comparative more foulsome, superlative most foulsome) Characterised or marked by foulness or filth; filthy; (by extension) wretched.
There are 12 meanings listed in OED's entry for the word fulsome, two of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
As adjectives the difference between fulsome and foulsome is that fulsome is offensive to good taste, tactless, overzealous, excessive while foulsome is {{cx|archaic|lang=en}} foul; full of filth.
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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Synonyms for FULSOME: sickening, hagiographical, gushy, abundant, unctuous, hagiographic, oily, adulatory; Antonyms of FULSOME: genuine, earnest, sincere, honest, heartfelt, true, unaffected, ingenuous.
