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Showing results for flattery. Search instead for flattery/1.
Definitions

flattery

[flat-uh-ree] / ˈflæt ə ri /
NOUN
false praise, compliments
Synonyms
STRONG
adulation applause approbation blandishment blarney cajolery commendation encomium eulogy eyewash flummery fulsomeness gallantry hokum ingratiation jive mush obsequiousness palaver plaudits puffery snow stroking sycophancy tribute truckling unctuousness
WEAK
bootlicking fawning flattering honeyed words laud pretty speech snow job soft words soft-soap sweet-talk toadyism
Antonyms
STRONG
blame criticism
WEAK
belittlement castigation condemnation denunciation insult

Example Sentences

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

"He used a number of methods to do that - flattery, gifts, rewards."

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026

Admittedly, heaping this much flattery onto a tawdry piece of airport fiction adapted into a Sydney Sweeney-starring, big-screen sensation may seem hyperbolic.

From Salon • Jan. 31, 2026

This was no form of flattery, and wouldn’t be allowed between cities in the same state.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 28, 2025

Alas, they can’t agree on how to get it: fisticuffs or flattery.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 18, 2025

All those years of running from city to city one step ahead of the Usurper's knives, pleading for help from archons and princes and magisters, buying our food with flattery.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin