flatter

1
[ flat-er ]
/ ˈflæt ər /
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verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

to use flattery.

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
Question 1 of 10
decorum
the act of or need for making up one's mind.
dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.
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Origin of flatter

1
1175–1225; Middle English flat(t)eren to float, flutter, fawn upon, Old English floterian to float, flutter; for sense development, cf. flicker1, Old Norse flathra; reinforced by Old French flatter to flatter, literally, to stroke, caress (probably < Frankish *flat- flat1)

OTHER WORDS FROM flatter

Words nearby flatter

flatmate, flats, flatscreen, flatstick, flatten, flatter, flatter oneself, flattery, flattie, flatties, flatting
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to flatterer

lackey, charmer, sycophant, toady, booster, bootlicker, puffer, backscratcher, flunkey, cajoler

Example sentences from the Web for flatterer

British Dictionary definitions for flatterer (1 of 2)

flatter1
/ (ˈflætə) /

verb

to praise insincerely, esp in order to win favour or reward
to show to advantagethat dress flatters her
(tr) to make to appear more attractive, etc, than in reality
to play upon or gratify the vanity of (a person)it flatters her to be remembered
(tr) to beguile with hope; encourage, esp falselythis success flattered him into believing himself a champion
(tr) to congratulate or deceive (oneself)I flatter myself that I am the best

Derived forms of flatter

flatterable, adjectiveflatterer, nounflatteringly, adverb

Word Origin for flatter

C13: probably from Old French flater to lick, fawn upon, of Frankish origin

British Dictionary definitions for flatterer (2 of 2)

flatter2
/ (ˈflætə) /

noun

a blacksmith's tool, resembling a flat-faced hammer, that is placed on forged work and struck to smooth the surface of the forging
a die with a narrow rectangular orifice for drawing flat sections
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012