Definition

1. Verb:
   • To praise formally and eloquently: To speak or write in a highly complimentary and formal manner about someone or something, typically in a public speech or written tribute, especially after their death.

Usage

• Primary Use: The verb "eulogize" is used when delivering a formal speech of praise, most commonly at a funeral or memorial service to honor a deceased person.
• Grammatical Note: It is a transitive verb and requires a direct object (the person or thing being praised).

Examples

• Verb:
  • The minister eulogized the community leader for his lifelong dedication to charity.
  • At the ceremony, several colleagues stood up to eulogize her pioneering work in science.
  • The biography does not merely recount his life; it eulogizes his every decision.

Advanced Usage

• "To eulogize over": (Less common) To speak in a eulogistic manner about a topic.
  • The historian eulogized over the ancient empire's cultural achievements.

Variants and Related Words

• Eulogy (n): The speech or piece of writing that praises someone highly, typically someone who has just died.
  • He delivered a moving eulogy for his father.
• Eulogist (n): A person who delivers a eulogy.
  • The chosen eulogist was the deceased's oldest friend.
• Eulogistic (adj): Having the nature of a eulogy; full of praise.
  • The article was filled with eulogistic descriptions of her leadership.

Synonyms

• Extol: To praise enthusiastically.
• Laud: To praise highly, especially in a public context.
• Acclaim: To praise publicly and enthusiastically.

Antonyms

• Criticize: To indicate the faults of someone or something in a disapproving way.
• Denigrate: To criticize unfairly; to disparage.
• Vilify: To speak or write about in an abusively disparaging manner.

Related Phrases and Idioms

• "To sing the praises of": To praise someone or something enthusiastically. (This is a more informal idiom with a similar meaning to "eulogize," though not as formal or specific to funerals.)
  • He is always singing the praises of his new assistant.

Verb

1. praise formally and eloquently
   • The dead woman was eulogized at the funeral