kudos

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“
Guy's dad always sounded supportive of Madonna in the press when they were together -- kudos for being so classy that whole time.

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Definitions (7)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (2)

  1. noun Acclaim or praise for exceptional achievement.
  2. usage note
    Kudos is one of those words like congeries that look like plurals but are etymologically singular. Acknowledging the Greek history of the term requires Kudos is (not are) due her for her brilliant work on the score. But kudos has often been treated as a plural, especially in the popular press, as in She received many kudos for her work. This plural use has given rise to the singular form kudo. These innovations follow the pattern whereby the English words pea and cherry were shortened from nouns ending in an (s) sound (English pease and French cerise), that were mistakenly thought to be plural. The singular kudo remains far less common than the plural use; both are often viewed as incorrect in more formal contexts. · It is worth noting that even people who are careful to treat kudos only as a singular often pronounce it as if it were a plural. Etymology would require that the final consonant be pronounced as a voiceless (s), as we do in pathos, another word derived from Greek, rather than as a voiced (z).

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (2)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (2)

Toggle WordNet definitions WordNet (1)

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Examples (50)

  • First in line for kudos is my husband, who continues to support, encourage, and put up with me in all my moods; make great suggestions; and only laugh at the funny parts. —  Kat Richardson - Greywalker 1 - Greywalker (v2.0)
  • I mean, I guess it's something -- kudos for the thought, I guess -- but man, if I'm hungry, you might as well give me a bag of air. —  Now Norma Knits
  • "Officer Castillo did a great job and definitely deserves kudos," Hernandez said. —  The Gazette-Enterprise: News
  • And kudos are also in order for Urban Peak and the fine work it is doing to help homeless youth. —  Gazette.com :
  • But hey, don't just take my word for its goodness … their kudos are up and down Zagats. —  sweetnicks.com
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Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Greek kūdos, magical glory.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. Greek κν̄δος, glory, renown; a poetical word, found chiefly in the Iliad and Odyssey, from which it has passed, as a bit of classical slang, into some English use.
  2. from kudos, n.
 

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/ˈkjudɑs/
by American Heritage

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