flatter

verb flat·ter \ ˈfla-tər \

|Updated on: 15 Jun 2018

Examples: flatter in a Sentence

Definition of flatter

flattered; flattering; flatters

transitive verb

1 : to praise excessively especially from motives of self-interest

He flattered her with comments about how youthful she looks.

2 a archaic : beguile 2

b : to encourage or gratify especially with the assurance that something is right

I flatter myself that my interpretation is correct.

3 a : to portray too favorably

The portrait flatters him.

b : to display to advantage

Candlelight often flatters the face.

intransitive verb

: to use flattery

—

flatterer

play \ˈfla-tər-ər\ noun

See flatter defined for English-language learners

See flatter defined for kids

Examples of flatter in a Sentence

He flattered her with comments about her youthful appearance.
It flattered her to be asked to sing at their wedding.
That dress really flatters your figure.

Recent Examples of flatter from the Web

This time, a now-expectant Middleton wrapped up in a pretty wrap dress that flattered her changing figure.

— maria ward, Vogue, "Pippa Middleton and James Matthews Do His-and-Hers Style at the French Open," 28 May 2018
When he was passed over for L. Patrick Gray III, Felt flattered Gray to his face while sabotaging the new FBI director behind his back.

— william mcgurn, WSJ, "McCabe, the New ‘Deep Throat’," 16 Apr. 2018
One of those things is wearing sunglasses that flatter your face shape, and the other is calling out your friends.

— sophia benoit, GQ, "Call Out Your Inappropriate Friends, Be a Hero!," 5 Apr. 2018
Perhaps the performers flatter themselves, perhaps not.

— william booth, Washington Post, "‘To prison for singing?’ Spanish rappers to serve time for their lyrics.," 18 Mar. 2018
So the duo teamed up to create a denim line that would flatter and fit women of all shapes.

— dory jackson, Newsweek, "Khloé Kardashian's Good American to Debut 'Stylish' Good Mama Maternity Line," 14 Mar. 2018
On top of that, most of the tutorials and advice out there are created specifically to flatter already-feminine features.

— refinery29.com, "For Trans Women, "Passing" Isn't Just Cosmetic — It's Survival," 25 May 2018
Hock Tan, the boss of Broadcom, a semiconductor firm then based in Singapore, appeared in the Oval Office on November 2nd, flattering the president.

— The Economist, "Business in the Republicans’ America is flourishing, but also changing," 24 May 2018
Television isn’t just a medium for flattering the president, but influencing him.

— matt ford, The New Republic, "Rudy Giuliani Is Managing His Client via Fox News," 21 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'flatter.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of flatter

Middle English flateren, from Anglo-French flater to lap, flatter, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German flaz flat

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

flatter Synonyms

Synonyms

adulate, blarney, butter up, hero-worship, honey, massage, overpraise, puff, soft-soap, stroke;

Near Antonyms

bad-mouth, belittle, decry, depreciate, disparage, put down;

fawn, kowtow, suck (up to), toady;

idolize, worship;

eulogize, extol (also extoll), laud, praise;

applaud, commend, compliment;

congratulate, felicitate;

drool, gush, slaver, slobber;

endear, ingratiate;

court, romance, woo;

flatter

noun

Definition of flatter

: one that flattens; especially : a flat-faced swage used in smithing

Recent Examples of flatter from the Web

Ellipticals are thick, like round cakes of soap; disks are much flatter.

— adrian cho, Science | AAAS, "Galaxy simulations are at last matching reality—and producing surprising insights into cosmic evolution," 30 May 2018
The most compelling of such works hang on the wall: Valerie Hegarty, Thomas Mailaender and Jesse Edwards have turned ceramics into imitations of paintings, photographs and TV sets, with the objects getting flatter as the illusionistic space deepens.

— roberta smith, martha schwendener, will heinrich and jillian steinhauer, New York Times, "What to See in New York Art Galleries This Week," 18 Apr. 2018
The relative movements in these maturities left the yield curve flatter, meaning the gap narrowed between short- and long-term rates.

— Bloomberg.com, "Mnuchin's Treasury Poised to Rev Up Supply as Budget Gap Widens," 26 Apr. 2018
The first had been a much flatter and shorter practice run down at sea level at Point Reyes National Seashore.

— tara duggan, San Francisco Chronicle, "Yosemite backpacking with kids is worth a few tears," 26 Apr. 2018
Strong spreader bars at each end of the 90-inch-long hammock help maintain a flatter, tauter 42-inch width so the hammock doesn't fold in on you while you are suspended.

— judi dash, latimes.com, "These items help you find your stuff, ease your pain, make the cut and drift off to sleep," 23 Apr. 2018
Prior efforts to make the song the state’s official rock ballad fell flatter than an out-of-tune Stratocaster.

— travis andersen, BostonGlobe.com, "That proposal to make ‘Roadrunner’ the official song of Mass.? It’s back," 20 Apr. 2018
Google went one step further, with its Material Design that included bright colors, playful transitions, and a much flatter and simplified interface.

— tom warren, The Verge, "I miss Windows Phone," 7 Apr. 2018
The world is flat, make that flatter, compared to just a couple of decades ago.

— michal lev-ram, Fortune, "Is Globalization a Double-Edged Sword in Healthcare?," 19 Mar. 2018

First Known Use of flatter

1714

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Other Hardware Terms

adze, auger, awl, chock, ferrule, punch, tang

FLATTER Defined for English Language Learners

flatter

verb

Definition of flatter for English Language Learners

: to praise (someone) in a way that is not sincere
: to cause (someone) to feel pleased by showing respect, affection, or admiration
: to show or describe (someone or something) in a way that is very favorable or too favorable