The adjective fulsome, traditionally meaning (1) offensively, excessively flattering or (2) excessive in a distasteful way, used to be negative. But in modern usage the word often means copious or abundant (especially in the phrase fulsome praise) without the negative connotations. This extension of fulsome‘s meaning peeves many careful users of English, but this positive sense of fulsome is so common that we should probably just accept it.
Incidentally, a similar shift is blurring the meaning of plethora, which, like fulsome, traditionally relates to negative abundances.
Examples
Here are a few examples of fulsome used in the new, questionable sense:
Elsewhere, U.S. officials have recently offered fulsome praise for the kings of Morocco and Jordan, two key allies on counter-terrorism. [Washington Post]
Some fans are fulsome with their financial support while others give generously of their time and particular skills. [Sussex Express]
Your fulsome coverage of the national celebration of Jack Layton’s life is most welcome. [letter to Toronto Star]
And here are two examples of fulsome used in the traditionally correct, now fading, sense:
To such critics, General Pace’s endorsement may seem to be fulsome flattery. [New York Times]
Apparently the theory behind such fulsome antismoking propaganda is that while everyone knows tobacco is unhealthy, some people need to have their noses rubbed in that fact … [Boston Globe]
We would provide more such examples, but they are hard to find. Fulsome in the copious or abundant sense is much more common in current news sources.
