The latter, I think (and hope). I've never heard fulsome used in that sense before (though I can see how people might get confused).

Huh. I think I've had the same experience as you, mullacc.

Odd, I wasn't aware of sense 2 "disgusting; sickening; repulsive"

It might be different between the US and UK. The Shorter Oxford dictionary says:

1 complimentary or flattering to an excessive degree: the press are embarrassingly fulsome in their appreciation

2 of large size or quantity; generous or abundant: the fulsome details of the later legend

I would have said "of large size or quantity" first, then "excessive".

I don't think it's a US/UK thing - as far as I know, it used to mean pretty much exclusively "excessive" and has recently come to mean (in some cases) "large/numerous".

It's not a word I use in conversation, as far as I know, but from context I imagine I (or anyone else) could work out which of the meanings a speaker is intending to convey.

Business people and politicians are generally butchers of the English language, so I'd be wary of figuring out what a word means by the way either of those groups use it.

But "business people" encompasses such a large swath of society that whatever it comes to mean in that context will probably end up being normal usage.

I don't think it's a corporate-speak thing like "synergy."

Also, I haven't noticed this in writing, just extemporaneous speech. My guess is that the speaker starts a sentence without really knowing what word to pick and "fulsome" pops up in their mind because ful- reminds them of "fuller" and -some seems like the proper way to form an adjective.

But "business people" encompasses such a large swath of society that whatever it comes to mean in that context will probably end up being normal usage.

Yep. And in any case, I'd be wary of saying "that word means X!!!" when it is clear that many people who use it definitely mean Y.

At the risk of activating some peeve-detectors, see "beg the question": hardly anyone uses this in its original meaning.

It may be ignorance, but it's not safe to assume that ignorance is at work in all cases. If I use "beg the question" to mean "raise the question", it's not because I am unaware of the phrase's other meaning. I would imagine the business people in question are ignorant of the other meaning of "fulsome", though, which is a shame as it's a nice useful concept.

I'm not sure, but some awesome prison blues happened there.

I try to avoid prescriptivist grammar debates.

Business people and politicians are generally butchers of the English language, so I'd be wary of figuring out what a word means by the way either of those groups use it.

This. So much.

It seems that the meaning has fluctuated from good to bad over the ages. The OED site starts out with a positive definition, then goes back and forth:

1. a. Characterized by abundance, possessing or affording copious supply; abundant, plentiful, full. b. Growing abundantly, rank in growth. Obs.

2. a. Of the body, etc.: Full and plump, fat, well-grown; in a bad sense, over-grown. Obs. b. Overfed, surfeited. Also fig. Obs. c. App. used for: Lustful, ‘rank’. Obs.

...

4. Offensive to the sense of smell: a. Strong-smelling, of strong, rank, or overpowering odour.

...

6. a. Offensive to normal tastes or sensibilities; exciting aversion or repugnance; disgusting, repulsive, odious.

7. a. Of language, style, behaviour, etc.: Offensive to good taste; esp. offending from excess or want of measure or from being ‘over-done’. Now chiefly used in reference to gross or excessive flattery, over-demonstrative affection, or the like.

It also references a dictionary of medieval English at UMich, which says:

1. (a) Abundant, plentiful; ~ aboundaunce, great abundance (b) abounding in grace, gracious.

2. Well-fed; plump.

3. Arousing disgust (as of surfeit); loathsome.

I haven't heard it used that way at all. My vote is for semi-literate business-speak, as in "I heard this word once and I think I know what it means - I think I'll throw it in here or there as a replacement for a simple and easily understood word whenever I want to sound smarter than the next guy."

my 1st response was 'stanky' and my 2nd was 'insincere'

I would immediately think "excessive," then "smelly," then "did s/he just mean 'full'?," then I would start running over the sentence in my head looking for contextual clues, then I would lose track of the ongoing conversation and when I FINALLY responded I would put my foot so firmly in my mouth that no one involved would even remember that someone had used a word of shifting meaning, just whatever inappropriately timed thing I said a few minutes later.




... what?

I'm with Theophile: I would have said "of large size or quantity" first, then "excessive".

I think I was beaten to the prison joke.

Isn't Fulsome the prison where Johnny Cash played?

"we will provide a more fulsome explanation of our strategy at the annual meeting."
This is pretty much the only way I've seen the word used - as a replacement for 'fuller' or 'more complete'.