🙇 Too much praise ✨ More attractive

flattering

57 4.2

Giving praise that is too much and not sincere to gain someone's favor

adjective
/ˈflætərɪŋ/

: lisonjero

That compliment was very flattering, but I knew he was just trying to win my favor.
flattering attention

to help him, right? And so that that that was flattering in itself. And so.

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Examples

His flattering remarks were clearly meant to gain her support for the project.
That you of all people should appreciate my work is very flattering.

Camp Daze (2005)
It's a really flattering fit and shape and cut.
And then the back is not flattering like this.
Most women would have managed to find something flattering about it, but there you go.

Fiction book (2002)
Well, the smile she gave me was flattering, to say the least.

Fiction book (1993)
It's very flattering, but I think you should stop denying it, you know?

Assault on Precinct 13 (2005)
Overall, I think this one is way more flattering on me, makes me look much more youthful.
That's very flattering, very cool, amazing, much appreciated.
While Rachel's comment is certainly flattering, the fact is that I'm not a big deal.

Blog text (20)

Synonyms

complimentary

vsflattering

18 4.2

Saying good things about someone to show you admire them

is excessive and often insincere aiming to gain favour or advantage

glowing

vsflattering

5 4.0

Showing strong praise and approval

is often genuine approval rather than flatter for personal gain

sycophantic

vsflattering

Formal

4 9.2

Giving too much praise to an important person to gain favor

is similar but applies to any target not only powerful people

fulsome

vsflattering

Formal

3 9.3

Too much praise that sounds false and makes people uncomfortable

is similarly excessive but not always unpleasant in tone

ingratiating

vsflattering

1 7.3

Pretending to be friendly to make someone like you

is about excessive praise broadly not only eager pleasing behaviour

adulatory

vsflattering

Formal

1 9.1

Giving much praise that does not seem honest

focuses on praise used to gain favour rather than honest praise

fawning

vsflattering

7.4

Showing too much praise and attention to please someone

focuses on praise used to gain favor rather than sincere feeling

ingratiatory

vsflattering

9.6

Trying to please someone to get their approval, often not sincere

emphasizes intention to please rather than neutral praise

encomiastic

vsflattering

Formal

9.9

Expressing strong praise, often in formal language

uses excessive praise for favour not formal ceremonial high praise

gushing

vsflattering

6.6

Giving praise in a way that sounds too excited and not honest

is excessive but may be sincere rather than meant to gain favour

Antonyms

disparaging

Offensive

1 7.0

Showing a low opinion of someone or something

How Complimentary

obsequious

Formal

7 9.3

adulatory

Formal

1 9.1

flattering

57 4.2

complimentary

18 4.2

Surface Forms

flattering positive

Morphology

flattering = flatter (transparent) = flatter + ing

Direct adjectival use of the verb 'flatter' meaning 'giving insincere praise'; the adjectival meaning follows directly from the verb.

Etymology

Flattering comes from a word that meant stroke, 'to touch gently', like petting a cat to please it. So to flatter someone is like 'stroking' their feelings with praise, which is why flattering can mean giving excessive or insincere praise.