What does eulogise mean?
To eulogise is to praise a person or thing in glowing terms, most commonly in the formal setting of a funeral oration or commemorative speech, though the word also applies more broadly to any effusive act of praise. Derived from the Greek roots eu- ('good') and logos ('word'), it carries connotations of eloquence and solemnity: a speaker who eulogises is expected to be sincere, measured, and moving. In its secondary sense, the verb can shade into criticism, implying that someone praises too generously or without discrimination — one might say a biographer eulogises their subject rather than assessing them honestly. The word is chiefly British in this spelling (Americans typically write 'eulogize'), formal in tone, and belongs to a small family including eulogy, eulogist, and eulogistic. It is a precise alternative to blander verbs like praise or compliment when elevated, ceremonial language is called for.
verbTo praise a person or thing highly, especially in a formal speech or written tribute, typically at a funeral or memorial. It can also carry a critical sense of praising someone or something excessively or uncritically.
- To praise highly, especially in a formal tribute or funeral oration.
- To praise excessively or uncritically (often with an implication of overstatement).
"The prime minister rose to eulogise the statesman's decades of public service."
"Friends and colleagues gathered to eulogise the retiring professor after forty years of teaching."
"Critics complained that the film simply eulogises a way of life that never really existed."
The same Greek root that gives us 'eulogy' literally meant 'good words' — so when you eulogise someone, you are quite literally giving them good words.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of eulogise
Eulogise comes from the Greek eulogein, formed from eu- ('good') and logos ('word'), originally meaning to speak well of someone or to bless. The noun eulogy entered English via Latin eulogium, and the verb followed in the 17th–18th centuries, first carrying religious senses of blessing before narrowing to its modern sense of formal praise. Cognates from the same Greek root include eulogize, eulogium, and the related panegyric tradition of formal praise.
Related word forms
How eulogise is actually used
Formal to literary in register; rare in casual conversation. The British spelling is 'eulogise' and the American spelling is 'eulogize', but both are widely understood in either region.
Easily confused with eulogise
Eulogy is the noun meaning the speech or text of praise itself, while eulogise is the verb describing the act of delivering such praise.
Apologise means to express regret for a fault, whereas eulogise means to praise highly — the words merely share the -ise ending.