praise

n.

1. Expression of approval, commendation, or admiration.
2. The extolling or exaltation of a deity, ruler, or hero.
3. Archaic. A reason for praise; merit.

tr.v., praised, prais·ing, prais·es.

1. To express warm approbation of, commendation for, or admiration for.
2. To extol or exalt; worship.

[Middle English preise, from preisen, to praise, from Old French preisier, from Late Latin pretiāre, to prize, from Latin pretium, price.]

praiser prais'er n.

SYNONYMS   praise, acclaim, commend, extol, laud. These verbs mean to express approval or admiration. To praise is to voice approbation, commendation, or esteem: "She was enthusiastically praising the beauties of Gothic architecture" (Francis Marion Crawford). Acclaim usually implies hearty approbation warmly and publicly expressed: The film was highly acclaimed by many critics. Commend suggests moderate or restrained approval, as that accorded by a superior: The judge commended the jury for their hard work. Extol suggests exaltation or glorification: "that sign of old age, extolling the past at the expense of the present" (Sydney Smith). Laud connotes respectful or lofty, often inordinate praise: "aspirations which are lauded up to the skies" (Charles Kingsley).

One of the best forms of motivation a coach or trainer can use on athletes and exercisers. To be effective praise must be warranted and not excessive.

Unwarranted, excessive praise can be counter-productive because it loses its credibility. Praise should be given either during an activity or immediately following it. It should also be accompanied by information indicating why it is given. If applied properly, praise can encourage athletes and exercisers to persist with their training despite difficulties.

noun

1. An expression of warm approval: acclaim, acclamation, applause, celebration, commendation, compliment, encomium, eulogy, kudos, laudation, panegyric, plaudit. See praise/blame.
2. An expression of admiration or congratulation: commendation, compliment, congratulation (often used in plural), tribute. See praise/blame.
3. The honoring of a deity, as in worship: exaltation, extolment, glorification, laudation, magnification. See religion.

verb

1. To express warm approval of: acclaim, applaud, commend, compliment, laud. See praise/blame.
2. To pay a compliment to: commend, compliment, congratulate. Idioms: take off one's hat to. See praise/blame.
3. To pay tribute or homage to: acclaim, celebrate, eulogize, exalt, extol, glorify, hail², honor, laud, magnify, panegyrize. Idioms: sing someone's praises. See praise/blame.
4. To honor (a deity) in religious worship: exalt, extol, glorify, laud, magnify. See religion.

Idioms beginning with praise:
praise to the skies

In addition to the idiom beginning with praise, also see damn with faint praise; sing someone's praises.

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n

Definition: congratulations; adoration
Antonyms: blame, censure, condemnation, criticism

v

Definition: congratulate; adore
Antonyms: accuse, blame, censure, condemn, criticize, denounce, reproach

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A motivational strategy in which a coach or some other person commends a good performance of an athlete. To be effective, praise must be warranted and not excessive. Too much unwarranted praise can be counter-productive. Praise should be given either during the performance or immediately following it. If applied properly, praise can encourage players to persist with their training and playing despite difficulties. Compare criticism.

IN BRIEF: To say good things about. Also: To worship.

Anything scarce is valuable; praise for example. — Unknown

Quotes:

"Praise invariably implies a reference to a higher standard." - Aristotle

"There are two things people want more than sex and money... recognition and praise." - Mary Kay Ash

"Pretend that every single person you meet has a sign around his or her neck that says, Make me feel important. Not only will you succeed in sales, you will succeed in life." - Mary Kay Ash

"No matter how busy you are, you must take time to make the other person feel important." - Mary Kay Ash

"The act of divine worship is the inestimable privilege of man, the only created being who bows in humility and adoration." - Hosea Ballou

"The praise that comes from love does not make us vain, but more humble." - Sir James M. Barrie

See more famous quotes about Praise

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Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - rose, prise
n. - ros, pris

idioms:

• damn something with faint praise    rose på en måde, der viser, at man ikke mener det
• sing the praises of    lovsynge

Nederlands (Dutch)
prijzen, loven, verheerlijken, lof

Français (French)
v. tr. - faire l'éloge de, chanter les louanges de, féliciter, (Relig) louer
n. - (gén) éloges, louanges, compliment, (Relig) louanges

idioms:

• damn something with faint praise    faire un commentaire peu enthousiaste sur qch, faire des éloges tièdes sur qch
• sing the praises of    chanter les louanges de

Deutsch (German)
n. - Lob
v. - loben, rühmen, preisen

idioms:

• damn something with faint praise    durch kühles Lob ablehnen
• sing the praises of    jmds. Lob singen

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - έπαινος, εγκώμιο, εξύμνηση, παίνεμα, αίνος
v. - επαινώ, εκθειάζω, εξυμνώ, παινεύω, δοξάζω, αινώ

idioms:

• damn something with faint praise    σφάζω με το μπαμπάκι
• sing the praises of    (υπερ)εξυμνώ

Italiano (Italian)
fare l'elogio di, esaltare, elogio

idioms:

• damn something with faint praise    fare complimenti a doppio taglio
• sing the praises of    cantare le lodi di

Português (Portuguese)
n. - elogio (m), louvor (m)
v. - elogiar, louvar

idioms:

• damn something with faint praise    praguejar com falso louvor
• sing the praises of    tecer elogios

Русский (Russian)
хвалить, восхвалять, похвала, восславление

idioms:

• damn something with faint praise    критиковать под видом похвалы
• sing the praises of    восхвалять за

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - alabar, elogiar, ensalzar
n. - elogio, alabanza

idioms:

• damn something with faint praise    crítica implícita en tenues elogios
• sing the praises of    cantar las alabanzas de

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - beröm, lovord
v. - berömma, lovorda, prisa

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
赞扬, 称赞, 歌颂, 赞美, 崇拜

idioms:

• damn something with faint praise    对...冷漠地表示赞许其实是在贬低
• sing the praises of    称颂, 高度赞扬

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 讚揚, 稱讚, 歌頌
n. - 讚美, 崇拜, 稱讚

idioms:

• damn something with faint praise    對...冷漠地表示讚許其實是在貶低
• sing the praises of    稱頌, 高度讚揚

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - 칭찬하다, (신을) 찬미하다
n. - 칭찬, 숭배

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - ほめること, 賞賛, たたえること
v. - 称賛する, 賛美する

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) تمجيد, مدح, تسبيح (فعل) يمجد, يسبح‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮שיבח, הילל‬
n. - ‮שבחים, תהילה‬

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