fulsome

English

Alternative forms

• fullsome (archaic)

Etymology

From Middle English fulsom, equivalent to ful- +‎ -some. The meaning has evolved from an original positive connotation "abundant" to a neutral "plump" to a negative "overfed". In modern usage, it can take on any of these inflections. See usage note.

The negative sense "offensive, gross; disgusting, sickening" developed secondarily after the 13th century and was influenced by Middle English foul (“foul”). In the 18th century, the word was sometimes even spelled foulsome.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfʊlsəm/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

Adjective

fulsome (comparative fulsomer, superlative fulsomest)

1. Offensive to good taste, tactless, overzealous, excessive.
   • 1726 October 28, [Jonathan Swift], “The Author Relates Several Particulars of the Yahoos. […]”, in Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. […] [Gulliver’s Travels], volume II, London: […] Benj[amin] Motte, […], →OCLC, part IV (A Voyage to the Houyhnhnms), page 276:

     [T]he Weather exceeding hot, I entreated him to let me bathe in a River that was near. He conſented, and I immediately ſtripped myſelf ſtark naked, and went down ſoftly into the ſtream. It happened that a young Female Yahoo ſtanding behind a Bank, ſaw the whole proceeding, and enflamed by Deſire, as the Nag and I conjectured, came running with all ſpeed, and leaped into the Water within five Yards of the Place where I bathed. [...] She embraced me after a moſt fulſome manner; [...]

   • 1820 March, [Walter Scott], chapter X, in The Monastery. A Romance. […], volume III, Edinburgh: […] Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, […]; and for Archibald Constable and Co., and John Ballantyne, […], →OCLC:

     You will hear the advanced enfans perdus, as the French call them, and so they are indeed, namely, children of the fall, singing unclean and fulsome ballads of sin and harlotrie.

2. Excessively flattering (connoting insincerity).
   • 1889, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], “The Yankee and the King Sold as Slaves”, in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, New York, N.Y.: Charles L. Webster & Company, →OCLC, page 448:

     And by hideous contrast, a redundant orator was making a speech to another gathering not thirty steps away, in fulsome laudation of "our glorious British liberties!"

   • 1922 February, James Joyce, “[Episode 15: Circe]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company, […], →OCLC, part II [Odyssey], pages 441–442:

     He addressed me in several handwritings with fulsome compliments as a Venus in furs [...]

   • 2018 January 28, Dafydd Pritchard, “Cardiff City 1 – 1 Manchester City”, in BBC Sport‎^[1]:

     City overcame a spirited effort from Cardiff's Championship rivals Bristol City in a keenly contested Carabao Cup semi-final on Tuesday night, with manager Pep Guardiola fulsome in his praise for Lee Johnson's men over two legs.

3. Marked by fullness; abundant, copious.

   The fulsome thanks of the war-torn nation lifted our weary spirits.

   • 2022 December 14, David Turner, “The Edwardian Christmas getaway...”, in RAIL, number 972, page 35:

     These extra services before Christmas Day were in addition to fulsome train facilities on the day, with many companies running a Sunday service.

4. Fully developed; mature.

   Her fulsome timbre resonated throughout the hall.

Usage notes

• Common modern usage tends toward the positive connotation, though some complain about this, and the use of fulsome in the sense of abundant, copious, or mature without contextual prompts may lead to confusion among readers familiar with the negative sense. Conversely, an intended negative connotation may not be understood by some modern readers.

Synonyms

• (offensive): gross
• (abundant, copious): profuse
• (excessively flattering): effusive, unctuous

Related terms

• fulsomely
• fulsomeness

Translations

offensive to good taste, tactless, overzealous, excessive

• German: taktlos (de), geschmacklos (de), übereifrig, übertrieben (de), widerlich (de)
• Middle English: fulsom

excessively flattering (connoting insincerity)

• German: schmeichlerisch, überschwänglich (de), anbiedernd (de)

abundant, copious

• German: reichhaltig (de), ausgiebig (de), reichlich (de), weitschweifig (de), üppig (de), überreichlich (de), uneingeschränkt (de)
• Malayalam: അമിത (ml) (amita)
• Middle English: fulsom

fully developed, mature

• German: reif (de), vollentwickelt, gereift (de), entwickelt (de)

Middle English

Noun

fulsome

1. Alternative form of fulsom