Adulate

 WORD OF THE DAY

adulate / verb / AJ-uh-layt

Definition
1a: to praise effusively and slavishly
1b: flatter excessively
1c: fawn upon
1d: to pay homage to without exercising a critical sense of values
2: to admire or be devoted to abjectly and excessively

Examples
A portrait of the family patriarch, a man adulated by the public but generally feared by his family, hung above the mantle.

"At his career's start, Elvis Presley was feted as a musical pioneer and adulated by millions of adoring fans captivated by his onstage charisma. But by 1968, musical tastes had changed drastically. "
— Eric Marchese, The Orange County (California) Register, 11 Jan. 2018

Did You Know?
Man's best friend is often thought of in admiring terms as faithful and true, but there are also people who more clearly perceive the fawning and cringing aspect of doggishness.
When the Romans used the Latin verb adūlārī to mean "to fawn on," they equated it with the behavior of a dog toward its master.
The noun adulation—meaning "exhibition of excessive fondness" (similar in meaning but not etymologically related to adoration)—was first to develop in English, settling into the language in the 15th century.
The adjective adulatory followed in the late 16th century (an adulatory speech, for example, is an excessively flattering one), and the verb adulate was being called into service by the early 17th century.