buttered up

verb

past tense of butter up
as in congratulated
to praise too much a flunky who shamelessly butters up the boss

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for buttered up
  1. congratulated
  2. applauded
  3. praised
  4. commended
  5. massaged
  6. stroked
  7. puffed
  8. flattered
Verb
  • In a social media post, James Lee Bright, a lawyer for Rhodes, congratulated the defendants.
    — Carrie Johnson, NPR, 5 Aug. 2026
  • In a statement on Wednesday, Stevens congratulated Abdul El-Sayed on winning the Democratic nomination.
    — Elaine Rojas-Castillo, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of congratulated
Verb
  • But the fact that this super team from LA added another not-so-secret weapon in its bid for a three-peat was not universally applauded by baseball fans.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 4 Aug. 2026
  • His factory boss, aware of Shigejiro’s situation at home, applauded his utterly straightforward personality and indeed even raised his salary.
    — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of applauded
Verb
  • Despite heartbreaking moments, like MJ not remembering him, the movie is praised for its emotional depth, action, and Tom Holland's irreplaceable portrayal, culminating in a bittersweet ending where a handshake offers a glimmer of hope.
    — Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
  • This could leave you feeling confused whether you’re being praised, tested or politely managed.
    — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of praised
Verb
  • Stern and his team commended how Pastore acted in his final scene on the show.
    — Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Anthropic’s statement mentioned that its decision to conduct this review was triggered by OpenAI’s disclosure and commended its rival for publishing the report.
    — Siladitya Ray, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of commended
Verb
  • Words have been parsed over, ideas about location, production design, costume, lighting have all been carefully massaged even up to the day of photography.
    — Rachel Elspeth Gross, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
  • Deirdre massaged my limbs while the cups went to work on my perpetually achy upper back.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 July 2026
Definition of massaged
Verb
  • Afterwards, as Cheogyal puts it, the spiritual leader stroked his head with compassion.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 2 Aug. 2026
  • But Argentina’s talisman stroked it wide of the net.
    — David Hickey, NBC news, 23 June 2026
Definition of stroked
Verb
  • Bake in preheated oven, rotating pans from top to bottom halfway through, until danishes are puffed and deep golden brown, 12-15 minutes.
    — Torie Cox, Southern Living, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Bake pâte à choux side by side until golden brown and puffed, 32–35 minutes.
    — Jesse Szewczyk, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of puffed
Verb
  • Overall, Terry said he is flattered by the ad campaigns against the measure.
    — Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 30 July 2026
  • Earnings were flattered by Alphabet’s stake in Anthropic being marked to a higher value, causing the almost 300% year-over-year earnings spike.
    — Bill Stone, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026
Definition of flattered
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.

Browse Nearby Words

butter
buttered up
butterfingered
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Cite this Entry

“Buttered up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/buttered%20up. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

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