What's the difference between praise and puffery?

Praise


Definition:

  • (v.) To commend; to applaud; to express approbation of; to laud; -- applied to a person or his acts.
  • (v.) To extol in words or song; to magnify; to glorify on account of perfections or excellent works; to do honor to; to display the excellence of; -- applied especially to the Divine Being.
  • (v.) To value; to appraise.
  • (v.) Commendation for worth; approval expressed; honor rendered because of excellence or worth; laudation; approbation.
  • (v.) Especially, the joyful tribute of gratitude or homage rendered to the Divine Being; the act of glorifying or extolling the Creator; worship, particularly worship by song, distinction from prayer and other acts of worship; as, a service of praise.
  • (v.) The object, ground, or reason of praise.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) Squadron Leader Kevin Harris, commander of the Merlins at Camp Bastion, the main British base in Helmand, praised the crews, adding: "The Merlins will undergo an extensive programme of maintenance and cleaning before being packed up, ensuring they return to the UK in good order."
  • (2) Although they were praised in the last five years as the most efficient drugs against cancer and infectious diseases, no great success was clinically and experimentally reported in the past.
  • (3) In Experiment II, identification training, consisting of instructions, praise, feedback, and practice was introduced after baseline.
  • (4) The brightly lit ice palaces themselves are stunning, inside and out, and the sporting facilities have been rightly praised by almost all the athletes.
  • (5) Israel’s president has told his Mexican counterpart that he was “sorry for the hurt” over a tweet in which the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, appeared to praise Donald Trump’s plans to build a wall on the US-Mexican border.
  • (6) There was praise for existing programmes such as the Ferguson Youth Initiative, which gives young people the chance to earn a bike or a computer.
  • (7) It’s clear which way the ultra-right community around Ukip wishes to go: their timelines are full of praise for Marine Le Pen and Geert Wilders , and blazing with imagery – both real and fake – of migrant riots in France and Sweden.
  • (8) He praised the obvious disgust of local people in parts of south and west Manchester, where gang problems have been concentrated.
  • (9) The letter praised the company's progress in responding to the inspection.
  • (10) After the event, McCray praised the duchess on Twitter for her passion on issues of mental health and early childhood development, saying “her warmth and passion for the cause was infectious”.
  • (11) The video is done in the style of a news report for Russia's Kremlin-controlled Channel One channel, which normally praises Putin in every broadcast.
  • (12) "The hollow words of praise from the home secretary are meaningless today.
  • (13) The current president of the supreme court, Lord Phillips, who steps down at the end of September, welcomed his successor, praising his "wealth of judicial experience" and "ability to lead a collegiate court".
  • (14) Thokozile Masipa, a 68-year-old former journalist who was only the second black woman to be appointed to the high court, was praised for her calm authority despite her controversial original verdict.
  • (15) At the hearing, committee chairman Senator Patrick Leahy, praised the secret service as "wise, very professional men and women", and called it shocking that so many of the agency's employees were involved in the scandal.
  • (16) Sometimes in the other team’s half, sometimes in front of his own box, sometimes as the last man.” Die Zeit singles out Bayern’s veteran midfielder Schweinsteiger for praise: “In this historic, dramatic and fascinating victory over Argentina , Schweinsteiger was the boss on the pitch.
  • (17) For now, Shimizu will not allow the children in her care to be interviewed and brushes off praise for her selflessness.
  • (18) Boris Johnson , the London mayor, got into hot water last week when he praised the value of greed as a spur to progress and controversially suggested some people struggle to get on in life because of their low IQs.
  • (19) It brought back Thatcher biographer Hugo Young's words for a front page portrait that offered criticism as well as praise for her legacy.
  • (20) Behind the scenes, at least, it appears Anelka has proved a welcome addition to the club's ranks, with Berahino, who scored the visitors' third goal with a fizzing drive, praising the veteran as a positive influence on his fellow frontmen.

Puffery


Definition:

  • (n.) The act of puffing; bestowment of extravagant commendation.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) Also, hilariously thinks getting downgraded by "puffery" ratings agencies matters.
  • (2) After meaningless puffery about South Carolina being voted “the friendliest state”, Haley said: For many people in our state, the flag stands for traditions that are noble.
  • (3) In this typical piece of puffery, Knowles shows off her "temperature-controlled digital storage facility that contains virtually every photo of her", including one video diary entry in which she informs herself that she is going to listen to one of her own songs before having sex with her husband, which is one way to get in the mood, I guess.
  • (4) – but the uncomfortable fact remains that growing numbers of PRs are giving material to a diminishing band of reporters desperate to fill empty space with whatever puffery lands in their inboxes.
  • (5) So it seems like we have to rethink a strategy that is less military-based.” This was Stewart at his best; it’s also fair to say that some of the interviews, generally those with actors and authors, seem like mere puffery, a point with which Stewart agrees (he embraces criticism as eagerly as he deflects compliments).

Words possibly related to "puffery"