butter

noun

ˈbə-tər How to pronounce butter (audio)
Definition of butternext
as in flattery
excessive praise a junior exec who was laying on the butter so thickly that her colleagues were ready to gag

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for butter
  1. flattery
  2. praise
  3. soft soap
  4. sweet talk
  5. adulation
  6. acclaim
Noun
  • Fake travel email uses flattery The message says your activity placed you among a select number of loyal members.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 6 July 2026
  • The real danger is not the flattery itself.
    — Terry Oroszi, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026
Definition of flattery
Noun
  • His celebratory words marking its 250th anniversary included not only the traditional paeans to the Founders but also a dose of personal grievance, plus soaring praise for his own achievements.
    — Susan Page, USA Today, 5 July 2026
  • This comes as the ex-Apprentice host on July 3 tossed some praise Clinton’s way in a book reading event with Second Lady Usha Vance on the latter’s podcast.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 4 July 2026
Definition of praise
Noun
  • People should wash any skin that comes into contact with the slurry with water and soft soap, before using a hand cream to avoid dryness and cracking.
    — Lauren Penington, The Denver Post, 2 Sep. 2024
  • Founder and creative director Joy Cho’s lifestyle brand offers whimsical products, spanning bandages to soft soap, as well as regular editorial content online.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2021
Definition of soft soap
Noun
  • Watch an encounter full of sweet talk, gaslighting and tension here.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 14 Feb. 2026
  • Don’t fall for compliments that don’t feel genuine, and don’t be afraid to confront whatever’s beneath someone’s sweet talk.
    — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 23 Sep. 2025
Definition of sweet talk
Noun
  • Fans showered Ovechkin with cheers and adulation, despite his refusal to acknowledge the surrounding uncertainty.
    — Sean Gentille, New York Times, 2 July 2026
  • Each member derives her own realizations from this experience, with its dual crucibles of grindingly hard work and pop adulation.
    — Elizabeth Gulino, Allure, 25 June 2026
Definition of adulation
Noun
  • The brand launched yesterday to quick acclaim, already featured on Moda Operandi and celebrated at a launch party hosted by Karen Elson with Iman in attendance.
    — Rebecca Suhrawardi, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • The idea is to help showcase films that received critical acclaim, but did not secure distribution or acquisition deals.
    — Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
Definition of acclaim
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Phrases Containing butter

Browse Nearby Words

butted (on or against)
butter
buttered up
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Butter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/butter. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on butter

Nglish: Translation of butter for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about butter

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