fulsome

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The Word of the Day for February 26 is:

fulsome   \FULL-sum\   adjective
     1 a : characterized by abundance : copious b : generous in amount, extent, 
or spirit
     2 : exceeding the bounds of good taste : overdone
    *3 : excessively complimentary or flattering : effusive  

Example sentence:
     Stan's praise for Emily was so fulsome it didn't seem sincere.

Did you know? 
     There is a lot of confusion about exactly what "fulsome" means. Some 
critics disapprove of using it in its original "copious" sense because they 
feel that sense is not negative enough; they say that "fulsome" should always 
be at least mildly deprecatory. It's true that today "fulsome" is often used 
pejoratively to describe overly effusive language, but modern English writers 
still sometimes use it simply to mean "abundant," or occasionally even in 
contexts where it is complimentary. Some writers go to the more negative 
extreme, using it for things that are offensive to normal tastes or 
sensibilities. To avoid misinterpretation, either be sure that the context in 
which you use the word makes the intended meaning clear or choose a different 
word.

*Indicates the sense illustrated by the example sentence. 






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