👏 Expressing praise 🏛️ Receiving title only

commendatory

7.5

Showing praise for someone or something

adjective
/kəˈmɛndəˌtɔri/

Literature

: elogioso

Among the commendatory letters to Proctor here in 1893 came one from Elisha Gray, now remembered for his patent battle with Alexander Graham Bell.

Examples

The teacher gave a commendatory speech about the student's remarkable achievements.
The lawyer received a commendatory letter from the judge for her outstanding work on the case.
His boss wrote a commendatory email praising his dedication to the project.

Synonyms

complimentary

vscommendatory

18 4.2

Saying good things about someone to show you admire them

is broader approval or admiration not limited to polite personal remarks

laudatory

vscommendatory

3 8.1

Showing praise for a person or thing

is broader praise or admiration that may not be stated so directly

plausive

vscommendatory

9.9

Showing praise or approval

is general expression of praise, approval, or admiration without public applause

praising

vscommendatory

2.1

Showing approval and admiration for someone or their work

is the neutral label for expressing approval or admiration generally

praiseful

vscommendatory

6.6

Showing approval by saying good things about someone or their work

is more general praise or approval without necessarily a warm emotional tone

approbatory

vscommendatory

Formal

8.9

Showing approval or praise for something

is general praise and admiration rather than a formal acceptance statement

approbative

vscommendatory

Formal

8.8

Showing praise or approval

is everyday praise without the same formal evaluative tone

eulogistic

vscommendatory

Formal

8.9

Being full of praise for someone, often in a formal way

is simple praise or approval rather than an ornate or formal expression

encomiastic

vscommendatory

Formal

9.9

Expressing strong praise, often in formal language

is general approval or admiration, not the strongly formal, official type

panegyrical

vscommendatory

Formal

9.9

Giving very strong praise in a formal speech or writing

is everyday expression of praise without theatrical or ceremonial elevation

Antonyms

disparaging

Offensive

1 7.0

Showing a low opinion of someone or something

How Praising

adulatory

Formal

1 9.1

laudatory

3 8.1

commendatory

Literature

7.5

complimentary

18 4.2

Surface Forms

commendatory positive

Morphology

commendatory = commend (transparent) = commend + atory

The adjective is formed from the verb 'commend' with the productive adjectival suffix '-atory', yielding the meaning 'expressing praise', which is directly derivable.

Etymology

Commendatory comes from the Latin commendare, which means 'to entrust' or 'to praise' and is the same root as English commend and recommend. So a commendatory remark is like 'recommending' someone with praise, which explains the modern meaning of expressing approval.