FLATTERINGLY Synonyms: 47 Similar and Opposite Words

flatteringly

adverb

as in unctuously

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of flatteringly Modestly cut and flatteringly designed, this short set is elegant enough to wear from day to night. — Alexandra Emanuelli, Southern Living, 4 Mar. 2026 The high elastic waistband flatteringly cinches without pinching, according to one shopper, and the baggy wide-leg design gives your legs room to move through long airport lines and eight-hour workdays. — Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 22 Oct. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for flatteringly

Adverb

In my experience, moisturizers for dry skin tend to be unctuously thick, which can trigger breakouts, while those made for oily skin are often too light to make a difference.

— Jacqueline Kilikita, Refinery29, 22 Jan. 2026

Definition of unctuously

Adverb

Even a deep black pencil can feel softer and more natural because the pigment doesn’t sit as sharply on top of the skin.

— Marci Robin, Allure, 24 July 2026
Oil prices have surged more than 30% this month as fighting in the Middle East sharply escalates.

— Spencer Kimball,Chloe Taylor,Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 23 July 2026

Definition of sharply

Adverb

Penelope remains faithful and rules Ithaca in his absence, cunningly stalling her suitors.

— Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 20 July 2026
But cunningly, in the years since 1945—and responsibly and rightly, too—the United States put together a system where most of the other strong countries were also friends.

— David Frum, The Atlantic, 8 Apr. 2026

Definition of cunningly

Adverb

That virtue is undermined here by leads with minimal chemistry, one of them inexpressive and the other archly theatrical, by design if not to rewarding effect.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 21 May 2026
The show, which followed a crooked New Mexican lawyer, played by Bob Odenkirk, was an archly funny drama, shot partly in gritty black-and-white.

— Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025

Definition of archly

Adverb

But the saying also slyly sets the stage for the men’s existential inquiries; in Cool Machine, Pepper and Carney ask themselves the same thing.

— Niela Orr, Vulture, 20 July 2026
The lasting impact of the series would be unthinkable without the Barnabas character – the vampire was even slyly name-checked in the current hit Apple TV+ series Widow’s Bay.

— Greg Evans, Deadline, 18 July 2026

Definition of slyly

Adverb

As the only standalone English track of the album, its lyrics speak of a situationship so suspended in uncertainty that Selines craftily matched it with the sonic sensation of floating into outer space.

— Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
Some players struggled against the size of bigger and stronger players, while others craftily created space with deft footwork and manipulation.

— Devin Robertson, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025

Definition of craftily

Adverb

Often nearly invisible to the naked eye, microplastics have insidiously found their way into people’s lungs, arterial plaques and brains through food, air and water, researchers have found.

— Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 7 Apr. 2026
His dramas set domestic conflicts against the backdrop of societal systems that insidiously warp the playing field for their characters.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026

Definition of insidiously

Adverb

It’s meant to blends furtively into a bookshelf or sits elegantly atop a bedside table, never inside it.

— Tiana Randall, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
At the combine, as executives and scouts furrowed their brows and furtively took notes, Mann and I stood on the concourse, watching team personnel watch prospects work out.

— Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 4 June 2026

Definition of furtively

Browse Nearby Words

flattering

flatteringly

flatters

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Flatteringly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flatteringly. Accessed 27 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of flatteringly

adverb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

parochial

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes: A-Z List of Examples

Popular in Wordplay

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes