Synonyms of flattering

flattering 1 of 2

adjective

1

as in laudatory

Related Words

• laudatory
• eulogistic
• favorable
• positive
• hagiographic
• panegyrical
• encomiastic
• complimentary
• appreciative
• friendly
• praiseful
• warm
• admiring
• commendatory
• approving
• supportive
• accepting
• respectful
• sympathetic
• laudative
• good
• applauding
• adulatory
• worshipful
• approbatory
• adoring
• worshipping
• advisory
• recommendatory
• idolizing

Dissimilar Words

• critical
• captious
• hypercritical
• overcritical
• censuring
• faultfinding
• disparaging
• scornful
• contemptuous
• unflattering
• disdainful
• negative
• slighting
• unfavorable
• belittling
• adverse
• derogatory
• uncomplimentary
• carping
• caviling
• unfriendly
• disapproving
• depreciatory
• unappreciative
• depreciative
• inappreciative

2

as in excessive

Related Words

• excessive
• fulsome
• pretentious
• inflated
• grandiose
• boastful
• stilted
• bombastic
• bloated
• pompous
• affected
• purple
• flowery
• grandiloquent
• ornate
• eloquent
• rhetorical
• florid
• fancy-pants
• high-sounding
• high-flown
• lofty
• bookish
• highfalutin
• aureate
• magnific
• learned
• elevated
• inkhorn

Dissimilar Words

• prosaic
• simple
• direct
• plain
• lean
• matter-of-fact
• straightforward
• unpoetic
• spare
• bald
• unadorned
• stark
• natural
• unaffected
• unpretentious
• plainspoken

flattering

2 of 2

verb

present participle of flatter

1

as in praising

to praise too much

the billionaire has an army of assistants who are eager to flatter him at every opportunity

Synonyms & Similar Words

• praising
• commending
• massaging
• congratulating
• applauding
• stroking
• puffing
• overpraising
• coaxing
• honeying
• fawning
• buttering up
• adulating
• belauding
• complimenting
• wooing
• cajoling
• toadying
• wheedling
• sucking (up to)
• extolling
• blarneying
• hero-worshipping
• kowtowing
• ingratiating
• soft-soaping
• eulogizing
• endearing
• blandishing
• idolizing
• lauding
• sweet-talking
• worshipping
• gushing
• felicitating
• romancing
• slavering
• courting
• slobbering
• drooling

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• disparaging
• belittling
• putting down
• depreciating
• decrying
• bad-mouthing

2

as in priding

to think highly of (oneself)

don't flatter yourself that no one has ever thought of that idea before

Synonyms & Similar Words

• priding
• congratulating
• pluming
• bragging
• boasting
• vaunting
• vaporing
• swaggering
• piquing
• swanking
• crowing
• felicitating
• swashing
• gasconading

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of flattering

Adjective

It’s crafted with a blend of cotton, polyester, and elastane, which provides stretch for all-day wear and a flattering fit that complements any piece in your wardrobe. — Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 6 Oct. 2026

The show in question is Quotidien, the daily French news and culture program hosted by Yann Barthès on TMC, which has acquired an unlikely second life online thanks to its almost preternaturally flattering studio lighting. — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 3 Oct. 2026

Verb

Meanwhile, curtain bangs — often longer (sometimes past the chin) and often with a wave or curl — are universally flattering on nearly all face shapes. — Gretta Monahan, Boston Herald, 3 Sep. 2026

This poplin maxi skirt is stylish, and its A-line cut can create a flattering silhouette on all body types. — Jasmine Gomez, Travel + Leisure, 30 Aug. 2026