acclaim

acclaim — noun

1. strong, openly expressed admiration that many people share for a person or piece

1.nounC1
Definition

strong, openly expressed admiration that many people share for a person or piece of work, often shown through reviews, awards, or public recognition.

Example

Dimitri's first novel won wide acclaim from book critics across Europe.

collocation: win / receive / earn + acclaim

The young chef earned international acclaim for her work at a small Taipei restaurant.

pattern: acclaim for + noun

Common collocations
  • critical acclaim
  • popular acclaim
  • win acclaim
  • receive acclaim
  • to great acclaim
Synonyms
  • praise

    everyday word; not necessarily public or widespread

  • recognition

    neutral; can mean simply being noticed, not always praised

  • applause

    literally clapping, but also figurative public approval

  • kudos

    informal; usually for a single act rather than a body of work

Antonyms
  • criticism

    negative judgment; opposite when acclaim means positive reviews

  • condemnation

    stronger; public disapproval rather than private criticism

Grammar Patterns

acclaim for + noun

to + noun's + acclaim

Usage Note

Almost always uncountable and almost always positive in tone. Frequently appears in fixed collocations such as 'critical acclaim', 'win/receive/earn acclaim', and 'to (great/wide) acclaim'. Rare in casual speech; common in reviews, news headlines, and award contexts.

Common Mistakes

The book got many acclaims.
The book received much acclaim.
uncountable, so no plural and no 'many'.
She got acclaim about her novel.
She got acclaim for her novel.
the standard preposition is 'for', not 'about'.

acclaim — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All five verbs describe speaking well of someone, but they sit at different points on the public-formal scale. 'Praise' is the everyday choice and works in any setting — a parent praises a child, a manager praises a team. 'Acclaim' and 'hail' both demand a public voice (critics, newspapers, fans), and both often take the pattern 'X as Y' — 'critics hailed her as a genius'; 'reviewers acclaimed the book as a classic'. 'Hail' is slightly more common in news headlines, while 'acclaim' often points to artistic or scholarly merit. 'Applaud' literally means to clap, but figuratively it approves of a decision rather than judging quality. 'Extol' is the most formal and old-fashioned, suggesting almost worshipful praise: 'the speech extolled the virtues of hard work'.

acclaim ↗praise ↗hail ↗applaud ↗extol

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • to great acclaim
  • to wide acclaim
  • win critical acclaim
  • be widely acclaimed
  • acclaimed as a masterpiece

Prepositions

  • for (the reason)
  • as (a kind of)
  • by (the praiser)

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Comes from Latin 'acclamare', formed from 'ad-' (meaning 'to' or 'toward') and 'clamare' (meaning 'to shout' or 'to call out') — so the original idea is shouting toward someone in approval. It entered English in the early 1600s, first as a verb meaning to applaud or shout praise at, and later as a noun for that praise itself. The same root 'clamare' gives English 'claim', 'exclaim', and 'clamor'.