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flackery

flackery

9.9
Too much promotion by people who try to make something seem better than it is
  • noun
  • /ˈflækəri/
  • Slang
translation icon : publicidad agresiva
  • Many criticized the author's latest promotion as mere flackery with no real substance behind it.

Examples

  • The aggressive flackery employed by the publicist generated significant buzz for the film.

  • I'll take up my twitfriend Gastropoda's crusade and say this stinks of clueless flackery.

    Blog text (23)
  • From my perspective, though, the most galling example of Franzen's work is probably this piece on Control Group, which not merely reads like the kind of flackery you find on PR NewsWire, but does so on behalf of some particularly pernicious claims.

    Blog text (15)
  • Her flackery during the press conference helped secure important media coverage for the charity event.

Synonyms

buildup
vsflackery
14 4.1

A lot of excited publicity to make people like or want something

does the same but with pushy or overbearing tactics by promoters
ballyhoo
vsflackery
  • Literature
4 9.9

Loud, showy promotion that makes something seem better than it is

is the work of public image professionals done in an excessive way
puffery
vsflackery
  • Jargon
2 8.3

Claims that exaggerate product benefits and are not meant literally

is about aggressive promotional actions rather than merely overblown praise
gimmickry
vsflackery
2 8.1

The use of showy tricks to get attention

is more about ongoing aggressive promotion than using single attention tricks
hucksterism
vsflackery
1 9.9

A way of selling that uses pushy, dishonest methods to get attention

is similar but emphasizes publicity-focused behavior rather than direct selling
publicism
vsflackery
  • Jargon
9.2

To make and manage a public image for people, organizations, or products

focuses on excessive and aggressive promotion rather than balanced image work

Antonyms

Talking about someone in a way that shows dislike and makes them seem unimportant

How Promotional

propaganda
291 6.2
hype
146 4.3
flackery
  • Slang
9.9
publicity
289 3.0
promotion
124 3.2

Surface Forms

flackery singular
flackeries plural

Morphology

flackery = flack (transparent) = flack + ery

Formed from the noun 'flack' plus the productive suffix '-ery' meaning practice or behaviour, so the meaning is directly derived.

Etymology

Flackery comes from flack, a slang word for a 'publicist' who promotes people or products, plus the ending -ery that makes it the 'work' or 'behaviour' of that person. So flackery means pushy or excessive promotion — a lot of publicity instead of real achievement.