A July 22 Washington Times editorial attacked Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) for saying that Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts Jr. “does not have a long and fulsome record” as a judge, referring to Robert's two years on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. The Times suggested Schumer used “fulsome” out of ignorance, noting that “fulsome” means “offensive and disgusting,” which “the senator would know if he had looked it up.” “Fulsome,” however, carries multiple definitions, one of which is “characterized by abundance,” which makes Schumer's usage appropriate.

From the Times editorial:

Mr. Schumer lamented that Judge John Roberts, who was confirmed in 2003 for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, “does not have a long and fulsome record -- he's only had two years as a judge.” We agree that his record is anything but “fulsome,” which means “offensive and disgusting,” as the senator would know if he had looked it up.

The Merriam-Webster Online dictionary's definition of “fulsome” lists “copious” as the first definition and states that the definition cited by the Times is “the least common”:

Main Entry: ful·some
Pronunciation: 'ful-s&m
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English fulsom copious, cloying, from full + -som -some

1 a : characterized by abundance : COPIOUS fulsome detail -- G. N. Shuster> <fulsome bird life. The feeder overcrowded -- Maxine Kumin> b : generous in amount, extent, or spirit fulsome in praise of the plane's crew -- Don Oliver> fulsome victory for the far left -- Bruce Rothwell> fulsome, the farewells tender -- Simon Gray> c : being full and well developed fulsome, limpid voice -- Thor Eckert, Jr.>

2 : aesthetically, morally, or generally offensive <fulsome lies and nauseous flattery -- William Congreve> fulsome rogue -- George Villiers>

3 : exceeding the bounds of good taste : OVERDONE fulsome chromium glitter of the escalators dominating the central hall -- Lewis Mumford>

4 : excessively complimentary or flattering : EFFUSIVE fulsome -- A. J. Liebling>

- ful·some·ly adverb
- ful·some·ness noun

Usage: The senses shown above are the chief living senses of fulsome. Sense 2, which was a generalized term of disparagement in the late 17th century, is the least common of these. Fulsome became a point of dispute when sense 1, thought to be obsolete in the 19th century, began to be revived in the 20th. The dispute was exacerbated by the fact that the large dictionaries of the first half of the century missed the beginnings of the revival. Sense 1 has not only been revived but has spread in its application and continues to do so. The chief danger for the user of fulsome is ambiguity. Unless the context is made very clear, the reader or hearer cannot be sure whether such an expression as “fulsome praise” is meant in sense 1b or in sense 4.