What does extolled mean?
"Extolled" is the past tense and past participle of "extol," a formal verb meaning to praise someone or something with great enthusiasm and admiration. When a work, person, or achievement is extolled, it is not merely approved of but celebrated in glowing terms, often publicly and at length — one might say a biographer extolled her subject's courage, or that reviewers extolled a novel's lyrical prose. The word belongs chiefly to written and elevated registers: it flourishes in criticism, obituaries, speeches, and historical prose, and sounds out of place in everyday chat. Its Latin roots convey the sense of lifting something up, which matches its meaning precisely: to extol is to raise its object high through words of praise. Close synonyms include "lauded," "acclaimed," and "celebrated," though none quite captures the sustained, fervent quality that "extolled" suggests.
verb"Extolled" is the simple past tense and past participle of the verb "extol," meaning praised someone or something enthusiastically and highly.
- Praised or celebrated someone or something highly, especially in speech or writing (past tense/past participle of "extol").
"The critics extolled the young pianist's extraordinary sensitivity and technical command."
"In his acceptance speech, he extolled the dedication of his research team."
"Victorian travel writers extolled the Alps as a place of sublime beauty and moral renewal."
The double-L spelling "extoll" is perfectly acceptable in British English — so both "extolled" and "extolling" wear an extra letter depending on which side of the Atlantic you're on.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of extolled
"Extolled" derives from the verb "extol," which entered English in the early 15th century from Latin "extollere," formed from "ex-" ("up, out") plus "tollere" ("to raise, lift"). The original image was thus of lifting something physically upward, later applied figuratively to raising a person or thing high through praise. The same Latin root "tollere" underlies related words such as "toll" (in the sense of taking up) and connects conceptually to other elevation words like "exalt."
Related word forms
How extolled is actually used
"Extolled" carries a formal, literary register; it appears most often in reviews, speeches, journalism, and academic writing rather than casual conversation. It implies enthusiastic, often public praise, and is typically followed by the thing being praised directly ("she extolled the film") or by "the virtues of" a more abstract subject. The standard American spelling of the base verb is "extol" (giving "extolled"); British English also permits "extoll."
Easily confused with extolled
"Exalted" means raised to a high rank or elevated in status, while "extolled" specifically means praised in words.