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• flattery
  flattery

  noun

  the act of flattering.
• Flattery
  Flattery

  noun

  Cape, a cape in NW Washington, on the Olympic Peninsula, at the entrance to Juan de Fuca Strait.

flattery

¹ American  

[flat-uh-ree] / ˈflæt ə ri /

noun

• flatteries
  plural

1. the act of flattering.

2. a flattering compliment or speech; excessive, insincere praise.

   Synonyms:

   pandering, sycophancy

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Flattery ² American  

[flat-ree] / ˈflæt ri /

noun

1. Cape, a cape in NW Washington, on the Olympic Peninsula, at the entrance to Juan de Fuca Strait.

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flattery British  

/ ˈflætərɪ /

noun

1. the act of flattering

2. excessive or insincere praise

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• flatteries
  plural

Etymology

Origin of flattery

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English flaterie, from Middle French, equivalent to flat(er) “to flatter” + -erie noun suffix; see flatter ¹, -ery

Explanation

Flattery is excessive praise. If you're hoping to borrow your brother's car, be careful not to overdo it when you compliment his haircut, new shoes, and singing voice — he knows flattery when he sees it. As opposed to real praise, flattery is insincere and almost always has an ulterior motive. The Old English root word of flatter is flater, which originally meant "to stroke with the hand or caress." When you stroke someone's ego to get what you want, you're using flattery. If the person you are wildly complimenting tells you that flattery will get you nowhere, you know it's time to back off.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

flattery Flattery flatteries

Like Trump's, Xi's remarks were heavy on flattery, focusing on cultural ties and shared history between the US and China.

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026

When contact is established, scammers work to build trust through flattery, shared personal experiences, romantic interest, fake testimonials and, yes, promises of love or money, the bureau adds.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026

Earlier flattery aimed at the president has even taken epistolary form.

From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026

Nobody likes flattery from AI, but AI loves it from us.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

According to Georgina, Rumsey courted one of the milk-house girls, but was so liberal with flattery that he was obviously a young man open to the sweet mysteries of fate.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead

Flattery in state media underscored the dictator’s need to establish cult-of-personality supremacy as a smokescreen for his nation’s woes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 13, 2026

Flattery is the currency of diplomacy in Washington nowadays.

From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2025

Diamond’s crewmate, who has not yet been publicly identified, was found alive by a Canadian fishing family 13 days later, in a life raft 70 miles northwest of Cape Flattery.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 28, 2023

Flattery from a president, though I wouldn’t know, is likely addictive.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 27, 2021

Flattery never hurts with her, as long as it’s based on truth.

From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney

But I learned as little about Herman from these flatteries as I did from Einhorn’s gushing cliches.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 11, 2021

After that, he had half an hour or more of flatteries and compliments.

From Barrington Volume II (of II) by Charles James Lever

To run through the sleeping streets, and scream in the dull ears which a King's flatteries had stopped as with wool!

From Historical Romances: Under the Red Robe, Count Hannibal, A Gentleman of France by Stanley J. Weyman

By promises and flatteries I won over his favourite slave, who enticed him out of his stronghold by night and alone.

From 'Midst the Wild Carpathians by M?r J?kai

King himself relates this—and employed all his grace, all his flatteries, without succeeding in breaking the ice.

From Louis XIV and La Grande Mademoiselle 1652-1693 by Arvede Barine