fulsome

adj.

1. Offensively flattering or insincere. See synonyms at unctuous.
2. Offensive to the taste or sensibilities.
3. Usage Problem. Copious or abundant.

[Middle English fulsom, abundant, well-fed, arousing disgust : ful, full; see full¹ + -som, adj. suff.; see -some¹.]

fulsomely ful'some·ly adv.
fulsomeness ful'some·ness n.

USAGE NOTE   Fulsome is often used to mean "offensively flattering or insincere." But the word is also used, particularly in the expression fulsome praise, to mean simply "abundant," without any implication of excess or insincerity. This usage is etymologically justified but may invite misunderstandings in contexts in which a deprecatory interpretation could be made. The sentence I offer you my most fulsome apologies may raise an eyebrow, where the use of an adjective like full or abundant would leave no room for doubt as to the sincerity of the speaker's intentions.

(ful-sum)

adjective
1. Offensively flattering or insincere.
2. Offensive to the taste or sensibilities.
3. (Usage Problem) Copious or abundant.

Etymology
Middle English fulsom, abundant, well-fed, arousing disgust : ful, full + -som, adjective suff.

Usage
"One tires of the fulsome endorsement, the blizzard of exclamation points, the arch locutions ...." — Daniel Aaron, Belle du Jour, The New Republic, 2 Feb 1998. "`We've had some problems with recent Iranian and Somali receiving less than a fulsome welcome. This is an opportunity to say we are a multicultural society and that we welcome all cultures in our country,' said Mr Terris." — Hank Schouten, Terris favours Settlers Day, The Evening Post, 2 Feb 1998.

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adjective

Affectedly and self-servingly earnest: oily, oleaginous, sleek, smarmy, unctuous. See attitude/good attitude/bad attitude/neutral attitude, honest/dishonest.

adj

Definition: sickening, gross; excessive (behavior)
Antonyms: reasonable, sincere

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1) copious; generous in amount
2) aesthetically, morally or generally offensive
3) exceeding the bounds of good taste: overdone
4) excessively complimentary or flattering: effusive

Dansk (Danish)
adj. - overdreven, vammel, smagløs

Nederlands (Dutch)
overdreven, overvloedig, groot, goed ontwikkeld, aanstootgevend

Français (French)
adj. - excessif

Deutsch (German)
adj. - übertrieben

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - υπερβολικός

Italiano (Italian)
esagerato, offensivo

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - repulsivo (exagerado em bajulações)

Русский (Russian)
чрезмерный

Español (Spanish)
adj. - excesivo, exagerado, obsequioso

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - överdriven, riklig, äcklig

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
过度的, 令人生厌的, 过分的

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 過度的, 令人生厭的, 過分的

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 불쾌한, 거친, 꺼림칙한

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 度を過ぎた, 鼻につく, あくどい, しつこい

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) مثير للاشمئزاز , مقيت‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮מבחיל, מוגזם, מחניף עד כדי בחילה, משביע מדי, גדוש‬

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