Praise concluding in empty fatuity (8)
I believe the answer is:
flattery
'praise' is the definition.
(flattery is a kind of praise)
'concluding in empty fatuity' is the wordplay.
'concluding' becomes 'latter' (I've seen this before**).
'in' indicates putting letters inside.
'empty' means to remove the middle letters.
'fatuity' with its centre taken out is 'fy'.
'latter' placed within 'fy' is 'FLATTERY'.
(Other definitions for flattery that I've seen before include "Excessive or insincere praise" , "''Imitation is the sincerest form of . . . . . . . .'' (8)" , "Sweet talk" , "Compliments" , "Obsequious praise" .)