FLATTERINGLY Synonyms: 47 Similar and Opposite Words

flatteringly

adverb

as in unctuously

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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

Research into psychedelics for depression, PTSD, end-of-life care, and anxiety has exploded, and overall recreational usage has risen sharply.

— Claire Hoffman, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026
While the national average cost of regular gasoline has risen sharply over the past week, California prices have surpassed $6 per gallon, according to AAA.

— Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 21 Sep. 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

Leather has had a slyly stylish moment in menswear over the past year, too, with the likes of Alexander Skarsgård and Pedro Pascal reaching for it in lieu of more conventional suiting.

— Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 24 Sep. 2026
But his profound reflections are punctuated by superb slapstick, slyly symbolic sleight-of-hand and, yes, some serious Shakespeare that make for an equally entertaining and thought-provoking hour.

— Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 13 Aug. 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

The film is certainly casting a spell, and whether or not that’s simply cynical (and insidiously effective) marketing doesn’t much matter when you’re caught up in it.

— Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2026
In the American West, where playing dress-up in reenactments and photo booths and even city streets is already so commonplace, this line of questioning is insidiously limited.

— Téa Obreht, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of insidiously

Adverb

There are cities where rats are glimpsed at night, furtively scurrying into a dark corner or among the train tracks.

— David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 18 Sep. 2026
Jordan may wish to exact revenge, and Eddy may want to find one of the victims who has vanished, but both have to go about their work furtively.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of furtively

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“Flatteringly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flatteringly. Accessed 29 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of flatteringly

adverb

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