flatter

[flat-er]

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verb (used with object)

to try to please by complimentary remarks or attention.

to praise or compliment insincerely, effusively, or excessively: She flatters him by constantly praising his books.

to represent favorably; gratify by falsification: The portrait flatters her.

to show to advantage: a hairstyle that flatters the face.

to play upon the vanity or susceptibilities of; cajole, wheedle, or beguile: They flattered him into contributing heavily to the foundation.

to please or gratify by compliments or attentions: I was flattered by their invitation.

to feel satisfaction with (oneself), especially with reference to an accomplishment, act, or occasion: He flattered himself that the dinner had gone well.

to beguile with hope; encourage prematurely, falsely, etc.

verb (used without object)

to use flattery.

Origin of flatter

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)

Related formsflat·ter·a·ble, adjectiveflat·ter·er, nounflat·ter·ing·ly, adverbhalf-flat·tered, adjectivehalf-flat·ter·ing, adjectivehalf-flat·ter·ing·ly, adverbun·flat·ter·a·ble, adjectiveun·flat·tered, adjectiveun·flat·ter·ing, adjectiveun·flat·ter·ing·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for flatterer

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

Examples from the Web for flatterer

Historical Examples of flatterer

It is no flatterer, it is no follower; it never appeals from itself.
Essays, First Series
Ralph Waldo Emerson
"And a flatterer like yourself, you mean," said his lordship.
John Splendid
Neil Munro
But trust her not, when she speaks of me, for she is a flatterer.
The Substance of a Dream
F. W. Bain
How beautiful a girl she must now be if that photograph was no flatterer!
Warrior Gap
Charles King
Tzu-kung said, Poor, but no flatterer; rich, but not proud: how would that be?
The Sayings Of Confucius
Confucius

British Dictionary definitions for flatterer

flatter

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 Formsflatterable, adjectiveflatterer, nounflatteringly, adverb

Word Origin for flatter

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

flatter

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

Word Origin and History for flatterer

mid-14c., agent noun from flatter. Fem. form flatteress is attested from late 14c.-18c.

flatter

early 13c., from Old French flater "to flatter" (13c.), originally "stroke with the hand, caress," from Frankish *flat "palm, flat of the hand" (see flat (adj.)). "[O]ne of many imitative verbs beginning with fl- and denoting unsteady or light, repeated movement" [Liberman]. Related: Flattered; flattering.