accolade American  

[ak-uh-leyd, -lahd] / ˈæk əˌleɪd, -ˌlɑd /

noun

any award, honor, or laudatory notice.

The play received accolades from the press.

a light touch on the shoulder with the flat side of the sword or formerly by an embrace, done in the ceremony of conferring knighthood.

the ceremony itself.

Music. a brace joining several staves.

Architecture.

an archivolt or hood molding having more or less the form of an ogee arch.

a decoration having more or less the form of an ogee arch, cut into a lintel or flat arch.

accolade British  

/ ˈækəˌleɪd, ˌækəˈleɪd /

noun

strong praise or approval; acclaim

an award or honour

the ceremonial gesture used to confer knighthood, originally an embrace, now a touch on the shoulder with a sword

a rare word for brace

architect a curved ornamental moulding, esp one having the shape of an ogee arch

What is an accolade? An accolade is an award, honor, or instance of positive acknowledgment or praise.The word is typically used in the context of honors and praise that have been given to a person throughout their professional career.It is especially used to refer to prestigious awards and honors that not many people receive.The adjective accoladed can be used to describe a person who has received many accolades, but the term is rarely used.The word accolade is also used in a few technical ways in the context of music and architecture.Example: It would take too long to list her many accolades, which range from professional awards to humanitarian honors to public messages of praise from her peers in the field.

accoladed adjective

First recorded in 1615–25; from French, derivative of accolée “embrace” (with -ade -ade 1 ), noun use of feminine past participle of Old French accoler, verb derivative of col “neck” ( collar ), with a- a- 5

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“He put himself in a position to achieve the accolades, so we need to make sure we do what we need to, to play our game.”

From Los Angeles Times

While newer cutting-edge series typically win critical kudos and accolades, Gen Z and Gen Alpha viewers are binge-watching programs that became hits on the broadcast and cable networks in the pre-streaming era.

From Los Angeles Times

He has since had other accolades and awards, including two Grammy nominations.

From BBC

Every child nominated for the Star Award receives the accolade because the charity believes every child diagnosed with cancer deserves special recognition.

From BBC

Since Roberts’ last Oscar nomination, for “August,” she’s kept attracting accolades on the TV side, with an Emmy nomination for “The Normal Heart” and Golden Globe nominations for “Homecoming” and “Gaslit.”

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.