fulsome

Meaning

Adjective

• Offensive to good taste, tactless, overzealous, excessive.
• Excessively flattering (connoting insincerity).
• Marked by fullness; abundant, copious.
• Fully developed; mature.

Related

Similar words

• gross
• profuse
• effusive, unctuous

Origin

• From Middle English fulsum, 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.