Synonyms of flat

flat 1 of 3

adjective

ˈflat 

1

as in exact

being neither more nor less than a certain amount, number, or extent

industrial growth has been a flat two percent for each of the last four quarters

Synonyms & Similar Words

• exact
• round
• precise
• even

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• relative
• near
• comparative
• approximate
• imprecise

2

as in boring

causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest

a flat portrayal of Benjamin Franklin in the new TV series

Synonyms & Similar Words

• boring
• slow
• tiring
• dull
• stupid
• old
• dusty
• dry
• weary
• heavy
• wearying
• pedestrian
• uninteresting
• annoying
• drab
• tame
• arid
• irritating
• monotonous
• monochromatic
• colorless
• leaden
• stale
• tiresome
• humdrum
• tedious
• stodgy
• dreary
• wearisome
• sterile
• pallid
• ponderous
• stuffy
• blank
• ho-hum
• barren
• numbing
• jejune
• gray
• exhausting
• soggy
• prosaic
• unexciting
• dullish
• mind-numbing
• unimaginative
• drudging
• uneventful
• uninspiring
• draining
• unspectacular
• inanimate
• jading
• blah
• spiritless
• earthbound
• prosy
• undramatic
• aseptic
• pedantic
• unrewarding
• ordinary
• bothersome
• wearing
• common
• irksome
• suspenseless
• unnewsworthy
• unsensational
• poky
• unexceptional
• fatiguing
• vapid
• pleasureless
• tepid
• debilitating
• cumbersome
• commonplace
• discouraging
• lumbering
• dispiriting
• unsurprising
• plodding
• disheartening
• longsome
• demoralizing
• palling
• enervating
• enfeebling

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• interesting
• involving
• spectacular
• wonderful
• engaging
• intriguing
• gripping
• amazing
• riveting
• absorbing
• astonishing
• surprising
• sensational
• marvelous
• engrossing
• awesome
• wondrous
• fabulous
• exciting
• breathtaking
• astounding
• attractive
• moving
• charming
• inspiring
• amusing
• stimulating
• entertaining
• thrilling
• electrifying
• exhilarating
• animating
• rousing
• touching
• stirring
• energizing
• fascinating
• enchanting
• poignant
• alluring
• attracting
• beguiling
• enthralling
• enlivening
• entrancing
• bewitching
• rip-roaring
• galvanizing
• invigorating
• eye-opening
• diverting
• hair-raising
• provocative
• captivating
• suspenseful
• tantalizing
• spellbinding
• arresting
• mesmerizing

3

as in plane

having a surface without bends, breaks, or irregularities

preferred riding her bike on a flat road

Synonyms & Similar Words

• plane
• smooth
• level
• horizontal
• exact
• even
• uniform
• vertical
• regular
• true
• flush
• straight
• aligned
• tabular
• plumb

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• coarse
• uneven
• rough
• lumpy
• bumpy
• irregular
• warped
• undulating
• wavy
• inexact
• unsmoothed
• undulatory
• unaligned
• pitted
• pockmarked
• pocky

4

as in stable

having been established and usually not subject to change

charged a flat rate for priority shipping

Synonyms & Similar Words

• stable
• fixed
• unchanging
• certain
• final
• unchangeable
• frozen
• settled
• firm
• hard
• set
• determinate
• steady
• constant
• uniform
• inexpugnable
• hard-and-fast
• solid
• good
• specific
• definite
• reliable
• nonadjustable
• explicit
• safe
• exact
• dependable
• true
• nonnegotiable
• responsible
• stated
• noncancelable
• trustworthy
• stipulated
• given
• unwavering
• sure
• trusty
• tried
• tried-and-true

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• adjustable
• negotiable
• changeable
• indefinite
• variable
• unspecified
• unstable
• volatile
• fluid
• uncertain
• unpredictable
• open-ended
• fluctuating
• unsettled
• capricious
• mercurial
• mutable
• unsteady
• temperamental
• inconstant
• changeful
• flickery

5

as in simple

having no exceptions or restrictions

a flat denial of the charges

Synonyms & Similar Words

• simple
• complete
• unconditional
• absolute
• sheer
• pure
• total
• utter
• perfect
• very
• outright
• definite
• damned
• damn
• clean
• real
• blank
• huge
• regular
• crashing
• plumb
• deadly
• dead
• categorical
• endless
• stark
• downright
• profound
• stone
• fair
• flat-out
• dreadful
• thorough
• unadulterated
• unmitigated
• straight-out
• thoroughgoing
• unqualified
• blooming
• constant
• out-and-out
• rank
• consummate
• genuine
• unalloyed
• arrant
• bodacious
• horrible
• perpetual
• eternal
• all-out
• authentic
• terrible
• classic
• main
• veritable
• extreme
• unrestricted
• hopeless
• extraordinary
• unremitting
• terrific
• confirmed
• undying
• habitual
• supreme
• superlative
• inveterate
• frightful
• surpassing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• uncertain
• restricted
• questionable
• doubtful
• qualified
• dubious
• equivocal

6

as in matte

lacking a surface luster or gloss

used a flat paint for the condo's interior walls

Synonyms & Similar Words

• matte
• dull
• dulled
• lusterless
• gray
• dim
• pale
• dark
• black
• drab
• unpolished
• dingy
• muddy
• lackluster
• tarnished
• darkened
• leaden
• mousy
• cloudy
• dirty
• dusky
• gloomy
• obscured
• obscure
• darkish
• somber
• murky
• palish
• pitch-black
• pitch-dark
• dimmed
• stygian
• tenebrous
• tenebrific

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• shiny
• glossy
• sleek
• polished
• lustrous
• rubbed
• lacquered
• varnished
• glazed
• burnished
• satin
• silky
• satiny
• slick
• slippery
• silken
• shining
• buffed
• sparkling
• gleaming
• bright
• brilliant
• glistening
• luminous
• shellacked
• shimmering
• dazzling
• radiant
• incandescent
• lucid
• resplendent
• twinkling
• lucent
• glowing
• lambent
• effulgent
• glittering
• scintillating
• gemmy
• glimmering
• glinting
• refulgent
• brightened
• beaming
• candescent
• fulgent
• bedazzling

7

as in bland

lacking in qualities that make for spirit and character

a dull, flat reading of a story that was really quite exciting

Synonyms & Similar Words

• boring
• bland
• dull
• banal
• tiring
• insipid
• watery
• weak
• subdued
• dry
• milk-and-water
• heavy
• lifeless
• uninteresting
• unexciting
• drab
• wishy-washy
• pedestrian
• soft
• uninspiring
• weary
• monotonous
• leaden
• tiresome
• vapid
• namby-pamby
• humdrum
• tedious
• ordinary
• unrewarding
• dreary
• wearying
• mild
• wearisome
• tame
• ponderous
• innocuous
• inoffensive
• inane
• unexceptional
• stale
• commonplace
• jading
• common

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• spicy
• substantial
• pungent
• poignant
• piquant
• racy
• exciting
• entertaining
• meaty
• inspiring
• thrilling
• galvanizing
• invigorating

8

as in thin

lacking in taste or flavor

this pasta dish tastes a little flat

Synonyms & Similar Words

• bland
• thin
• plain
• tasteless
• insipid
• dead
• weak
• flavorless
• savorless
• unsavory
• watery
• dilute
• unflavored

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• tasty
• tasteful
• flavorful
• savory
• disgusting
• loathsome
• sickening
• delicious
• distasteful
• unpalatable
• unappetizing
• mawkish
• delectable
• cloying
• flavorsome
• palatable
• appetizing
• seasoned
• spicy
• sapid
• heavy
• rich
• keen
• piquant
• flavored
• toothsome

flat

2 of 3

adverb

as in completely

to a full extent or degree

I am flat broke this week

Synonyms & Similar Words

• completely
• perfectly
• quite
• totally
• fully
• utterly
• fast
• all
• wide
• wholly
• well
• thoroughly
• entirely
• entire
• exactly
• even
• absolutely
• out
• clean
• dead
• enough
• for fair
• full
• soundly
• in whole
• basically
• to pieces
• at length
• down the line
• plain
• all the way
• to bits
• all over
• plumb
• altogether
• heartily
• down to the ground
• cold
• through and through
• to the max
• mostly
• substantially
• to the hilt
• generally
• largely
• all of
• predominantly
• mainly
• downright
• categorically
• principally
• primarily
• predominately
• stone
• unqualifiedly
• chiefly
• stone-cold
• by and large
• generously
• greatly
• more or less
• overall
• hands down
• abundantly
• copiously

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• partially
• partly
• halfway
• half
• slightly
• just
• barely
• hardly
• marginally
• minimally
• scarcely
• superficially
• somewhat
• incompletely
• part
• approximately
• roughly
• kind of

flat

3 of 3

noun

chiefly British

as in apartment

a room or set of rooms in a private house or a block used as a separate dwelling place

had to take on a third roommate in order to afford the bigger flat

Synonyms & Similar Words

• apartment
• penthouse
• lodgings
• condominium
• tenement
• suite
• digs
• studio
• condo
• duplex
• diggings
• efficiency
• wing
• walk-up
• railroad flat
• saloon
• studio apartment
• garden apartment
• efficiency apartment
• duplex apartment
• floor-through
• flatlet
• bed-sitter
• maisonette
• triplex
• salon
• granny flat
• apartment building
• apartment house
• tenement house
• gallery
• cohousing

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective flat contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of flat are even, level, plane, and smooth. While all these words mean "having a surface without bends, curves, or irregularities," flat applies to a surface devoid of noticeable curvatures, prominences, or depressions.

the work surface must be flat

When would even be a good substitute for flat?

In some situations, the words even and flat are roughly equivalent. However, even applies to a surface that is noticeably flat or level or to a line that is observably straight.

trim the hedge so it is even

When is it sensible to use level instead of flat?

The words level and flat can be used in similar contexts, but level applies to a horizontal surface that lies on a line parallel with the horizon.

the vast prairies are nearly level

Where would plane be a reasonable alternative to flat?

While in some cases nearly identical to flat, plane applies to any real or imaginary flat surface in which a straight line between any two points on it lies wholly within that surface.

the plane sides of a crystal

When is smooth a more appropriate choice than flat?

The words smooth and flat are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, smooth applies especially to a polished surface free of irregularities.

a smooth skating rink

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of flat

Adjective

At the Degemar quarries, drilled down to 30 meters (yards) under sea level, bright blue ponds of sulfur springs pool the travertine residue as flat-bed trucks haul stone slabs weighing 33 tons up to street level. —ABC News, 19 Feb. 2026

Under the most dangerous conditions, even a skier on a flat piece of ground runs the risk of triggering an avalanche on slopes above them. —Sacbee.com, 19 Feb. 2026

Adverb

When ChatGPT launched in November 2022, states and school districts were caught flat-footed. —Ulrich Boser, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026

The energy-sapping pace of the game, with furious pressing and frenzied chasing, saw mistakes creep in, with Morocco caught flat by Nicolas Jackson’s 38th-minute pass to Iliman Ndiaye, whose shot was saved by Bounou. —Reuters, NBC news, 18 Jan. 2026

Noun

Casual sneakers, simple flats, and classic pumps should also earn permanent residence. —Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Feb. 2026

Outside linebacker Anfernee Jennings came away with a pass breakup on a target to JSN in the flat. —Doug Kyed, Hartford Courant, 9 Feb. 2026

Phrases Containing flat

• fall flat