fulsome

• POS: Adjective
• HYPHEN: ful=some

CIDE DICTIONARY

fulsome, a. [Full, a. + -some.].

•  Full; abundant; plenteous; not shriveled.  [1913 Webster]

  "His lean, pale, hoar, and withered corpse grew fulsome, fair, and fresh."  [1913 Webster]
•  Offending or disgusting by overfullness, excess, or grossness; cloying; gross; nauseous; esp., offensive from excess of praise; as, fulsome flattery.  [1913 Webster]

  "And lest the fulsome artifice should fail
  Themselves will hide its coarseness with a veil."  [1913 Webster]
•  Lustful; wanton; obscene; also, tending to obscenity.  Shak.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

fulsome, adj.
1 disgusting by excess of flattery, servility, or expressions of affection; excessive, cloying.
2 disp. copious.

Usage

In fulsome praise, fulsome means 'excessive', not 'generous'.

Derivative

fulsomely adv. fulsomeness n.

Etymology

ME f. FULL(1) + -SOME(1)

THESAURUS

fulsome

Fescennine, Gongoresque, Johnsonian, Rabelaisian, abhorrent, abject, abominable, adulatory, affected, arrant, atrocious, awful, bad, bad-smelling, barfy, base, bawdy, beastly, bedizened, beggarly, below contempt, beneath contempt, big-sounding, blameworthy, bland, blandishing, blarneying, blue, bombastic, brackish, brutal, buttery, cajoling, canting, cheesy, cloying, complimentary, contemptible, convoluted, courtierly, courtly, crude, crummy, debased, declamatory, degraded, deplorable, depraved, despicable, detestable, dire, dirty, disarming, disgusting, dreadful, egregious, elevated, enormous, euphuistic, excessive, execrable, extravagant, exuberant, fair-spoken, fawning, fecal, fetid, filthy, fine-spoken, flagrant, flamboyant, flaming, flashy, flattering, flaunting, forbidding, foul, foul-mouthed, foul-spoken, foul-tongued, frowsty, frowy, frowzy, funky, fusty, gamy, garish, gaudy, glib, grandiloquent, grandiose, grandisonant, grave, graveolent, grievous, gross, gushing, hateful, heinous, hero-worshiping, high, high-flowing, high-flown, high-flying, high-sounding, highfalutin, holier-than-thou, honey-mouthed, honey-tongued, honeyed, horrible, horrid, hypocritical, icky, idolatrous, ignoble, ill-smelling, impure, infamous, ingratiating, inkhorn, insincere, insinuating, ithyphallic, labyrinthine, lamentable, lavish, lewd, lexiphanic, lionizing, little, loathsome, lofty, lousy, low, low-down, lumpen, lurid, maggoty, magniloquent, malodorous, mangy, mawkish, mealy-mouthed, mealymouthed, mean, measly, mephitic, meretricious, miasmal, miasmic, mildewed, mildewy, miserable, moldy, monstrous, musty, nasty, nauseant, nauseating, nauseous, nefarious, nidorous, noisome, notorious, noxious, objectionable, obnoxious, obscene, obsequious, odious, odorous, offensive, oily, oily-tongued, oleaginous, olid, orotund, ostentatious, outrageous, overappreciative, overdone, overelaborate, overinvolved, overpraising, overripe, overwrought, paltry, pecksniffian, pedantic, petty, pharisaical, pitiable, pitiful, poisonous, poky, pompous, poor, pornographic, pretentious, profuse, putrid, rancid, rank, raunchy, reasty, reasy, rebarbative, reechy, reeking, reeky, regrettable, repellent, reprehensible, reptilian, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, rhetorical, ribald, rotten, sad, salacious, sanctimonious, satiating, sating, scabby, scandalous, schlock, scrubby, scruffy, scummy, scurrile, scurrilous, scurvy, sensational, sensationalistic, sententious, shabby, shameful, shocking, shoddy, showy, sickening, slick, slimy, slobbery, small, smarmy, smellful, smelling, smelly, smoking-room, smooth, smooth-spoken, smooth-tongued, smug, smutty, soapy, soft-soaping, soft-spoken, sonorous, sordid, spoiled, squalid, stenchy, stilted, stinking, strong, stuffy, suave, suave-spoken, sulfurous, sultry, sycophantic, tall, terrible, too bad, tortuous, uncensorious, unchaste, unclean, uncritical, uncriticizing, unctuous, unmentionable, unprintable, unrepeatable, unreproachful, vile, villainous, vomity, weevily, wheedling, woeful, worst, worthless, wretched, yucky

ROGET THESAURUS

fulsome

Badness

N badness, hurtfulness, virulence, evil doer, bane, plague spot, evil star, ill wind, hoodoo, Jonah, snake in the grass, skeleton in the closet, amari aliquid, thorn in the side, malignity, malevolence, tender mercies, ill-treatment, annoyance, molestation, abuse, oppression, persecution, outrage, misusage, injury, knockout drops, badness, peccancy, abomination, painfulness, pestilence, guilt, depravity, hurtful, harmful, scathful, baneful, baleful, injurious, deleterious, detrimental, noxious, pernicious, mischievous, full of mischief, mischief-making, malefic, malignant, nocuous, noisome, prejudicial, disserviceable, disadvantageous, wide-wasting, unlucky, sinister, obnoxious, untoward, disastrous, oppressive, burdensome, onerous, malign, corrupting &c (corrupt), virulent, venomous, envenomed, corrosive, poisonous, deadly, destructive, inauspicious, bad, ill, arrant, as bad as bad can be, dreadful, horrid, horrible, dire, rank, peccant, foul, fulsome, rotten, rotten at the core, vile, base, villainous, mean, injured, deteriorated, unsatisfactory, exceptionable indifferent, below par, illcontrived, ill-conditioned, wretched, sad, grievous, deplorable, lamentable, pitiful, pitiable, woeful, evil, wrong, depraved, shocking, reprehensible, hateful, hateful as a toad, abominable, detestable, execrable, cursed, accursed, confounded, damned, damnable, infernal, diabolic, unadvisable, unprofitable, incompetent, irremediable, badly, wrong, ill, to one's cost, where the shoe pinches, bad is the best: the worst come to the worst, herba mala presto cresco, wrongs unredressed or insults unavenged.

Impurity

N impurity, uncleanness, immodesty, grossness, indelicacy, indecency, impudicity, obscenity, ribaldry, Fescennine, smut, bawdry, double entente, equivoque, concupiscence, lust, carnality, flesh, salacity, pruriency, lechery, lasciviency, lubricity, Sadism, sapphism, incontinence, intrigue, faux pas, amour, amourette, gallantry, debauchery, libertinish, libertinage, fornication, liaison, wenching, venery, dissipation, seduction, defloration, defilement, abuse, violation, rape, incest, prostitution, social evil, harlotry, stupration, whoredom, concubinage, cuckoldom, adultery, advoutry, crim, con, free love, seraglio, harem, brothel, bagnio, stew, bawdyhouse, cat house, lupanar, house of ill fame, bordel, bordello, impure, unclean, not to be mentioned to ears polite, immodest, shameless, indecorous, indelicate, indecent, Fescennine, loose, risque, coarse, gross, broad, free, equivocal, smutty, fulsome, ribald, obscene, bawdy, pornographic, concupiscent, prurient, lickerish, rampant, lustful, carnal, carnal-minded, lewd, lascivious, lecherous, libidinous, erotic, ruttish, salacious, Paphian, voluptuous, goatish, must, musty, unchaste, light, wanton, licentious, debauched, dissolute, of loose character, of easy virtue, frail, gay, riggish, incontinent, meretricious, rakish, gallant, dissipated, no better than she should be, on the town, on the streets, on the pave, on the loose, adulterous, incestuous, bestial.

Painfulness

N painfulness, trouble, care, trial, affliction, infliction, blow, stroke, burden, load, curse, bitter pill, bitter draught, waters of bitterness, annoyance, grievance, nuisance, vexation, mortification, sickener, bore, bother, pother, hot water, sea of troubles, hornet's nest, plague, pest, cancer, ulcer, sting, thorn, canker, scorpion, dagger, scourge, carking care, canker worm of care, mishap, misfortune, desagrement, esclandre, rub, source of irritation, source of annoyance, wound, open sore, sore subject, skeleton in the closet, thorn in the flesh, thorn in one's side, where the shoe pinches, gall and wormwood, sorry sight, heavy news, provocation, affront, head and front of one's offending, infestation, molestation, malignity, causing pain, hurting, hurtful, painful, dolorific, dolorous, unpleasant, unpleasing, displeasing, disagreeable, unpalatable, bitter, distasteful, uninviting, unwelcome, undesirable, undesired, obnoxious, unacceptable, unpopular, thankless, unsatisfactory, untoward, unlucky, uncomfortable, distressing, afflicting, afflictive, joyless, cheerless, comfortless, dismal, disheartening, depressing, depressive, dreary, melancholy, grievous, piteous, woeful, rueful, mournful, deplorable, pitiable, lamentable, sad, affecting, touching, pathetic, irritating, provoking, stinging, annoying, aggravating, mortifying, galling, unaccommodating, invidious, vexatious, troublesome, tiresome, irksome, wearisome, plaguing, plaguy, awkward, importunate, teasing, pestering, bothering, harassing, worrying, tormenting, carking, intolerable, insufferable, insupportable, unbearable, unendurable, past bearing, not to be borne, not to be endured, more than flesh and blood can bear, enough to drive one mad, enough to provoke a saint, enough to make a parson swear, enough to gag a maggot, shocking, terrific, grim, appalling, crushing, dreadful, fearful, frightful, thrilling, tremendous, dire, heart-breaking, heart-rending, heart-wounding, heart-corroding, heart-sickening, harrowing, rending, odious, hateful, execrable, repulsive, repellent, abhorrent, horrid, horrible, horrific, horrifying, offensive, nauseous, nauseating, disgusting, sickening, revolting, nasty, loathsome, loathful, fulsome, vile, hideous, sharp, acute, sore, severe, grave, hard, harsh, cruel, biting, caustic, cutting, corroding, consuming, racking, excruciating, searching, grinding, grating, agonizing, envenomed, catheretic, pyrotic, ruinous, disastrous, calamitous, tragical, desolating, withering, burdensome, onerous, oppressive, cumbrous, cumbersome, painfully, with pain, deuced, Int, hinc illae lachrymae!, surgit amari aliquid, the place being too hot to hold one, the iron entering into the soul, he jests at scars that never felt a wound, I must be cruel only to be kind, what deep wounds ever closed without a scar?.

Dislike

N dislike, distaste, disrelish, disinclination, displacency, reluctance, backwardness, repugnance, disgust, queasiness, turn, nausea, loathing, averseness, aversation, aversion, abomination, antipathy, abhorrence, horror, mortal antipathy, rooted antipathy, mortal horror, rooted horror, hatred, detestation, hate, animosity, hydrophobia, canine madness, byssa, xenophobia, sickener, gall and wormwood, shuddering, cold sweat, disliking, averse from, loathe, loathe to, loth, adverse, shy of, sick of, out of conceit with, disinclined, heartsick, dogsick, queasy, disliked, uncared for, unpopular, out of favor, repulsive, repugnant, repellant, abhorrent, insufferable, fulsome, nauseous, loathsome, loathful, offensive, disgusting, disagreeable c, (painful), usque ad nauseam, Int, faugh!, foh!, ugh!, non libet.

Flattery

N flattery, adulation, gloze, blandishment, blandiloquence, cajolery, fawning, wheedling, captation, coquetry, obsequiousness, sycophancy, flunkeyism, toadeating, tuft- hunting, snobbishness, incense, honeyed words, flummery, bunkum, buncombe, blarney, placebo, butter, soft soap, soft sawder, rose water, voice of the charmer, mouth honor, lip homage, euphemism, unctuousness, flattering, adulatory, mealy-mouthed, honey-mouthed, honeyed, smooth, smooth-tongued, soapy, oily, unctuous, blandiloquent, specious, fine-spoken, fair spoken, plausible, servile, sycophantic, fulsome, courtierly, courtier-like, ad captandum.

Unsavoriness

N unsavoriness, amaritude, acrimony, acridity (bitterness), roughness, acerbity, austerity, gall and wormwood, rue, quassia, aloes, marah, sickener, unsavory, unpalatable, unsweetened, unsweet, ill-flavored, bitter, bitter as gall, acrid, acrimonious, rough, offensive, repulsive, nasty, sickening, nauseous, loathsome, fulsome, unpleasant.

Fetor

N fetor, bad, smell, bad odor, stench, stink, foul odor, malodor, empyreuma, mustiness, rancidity, foulness, stoat, polecat, skunk, assafoetida, fungus, garlic, stinkpot, fitchet, fitchew, fourmart, peccary, acridity, fetid, strong-smelling, high, bad, strong, fulsome, offensive, noisome, rank, rancid, reasty, tainted, musty, fusty, frouzy, olid, olidous, nidorous, smelling, stinking, putrid, suffocating, mephitic, empyreumatic.