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Although I am small, ugly and dirty, I am highly ambitious, and at the slightest flattery, I immediately start to strut like a turkey.
Italo Calvino

Meaning of "flattery" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

PRONUNCIATION OF FLATTERY

flattery  [ˈflætərɪ] play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF FLATTERY

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Flattery is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES FLATTERY MEAN IN ENGLISH?

flattery

Flattery

Flattery is the act of giving excessive compliments, generally for the purpose of ingratiating oneself with the subject. Historically, flattery has been used as a standard form of discourse when addressing a king or queen. In the Renaissance, it was a common practice among writers to flatter the reigning monarch, as Edmund Spenser flattered Queen Elizabeth I in The Faerie Queene, William Shakespeare flattered King James I in Macbeth and Niccolò Machiavelli flattered Lorenzo II de' Medici, ruler of Florence and Duke of Urbino, in The Prince. Flattery is also used in pick-up lines when attempting to initiate romantic courtship. Most associations with flattery, however, are negative. Negative descriptions of flattery range at least as far back in history as The Bible. In the Divine Comedy, Dante depicts flatterers wading in human excrement, stating that their words were the equivalent of excrement, in the 8th Circle of Hell. An insincere flatterer is a stock character in many literary works. Examples include Wormtongue from J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Goneril and Regan from King Lear, and Iago from Othello.

Definition of flattery in the English dictionary

The definition of flattery in the dictionary is the act of flattering. Other definition of flattery is excessive or insincere praise.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH FLATTERY


batterie
ˈbætərɪ
battery
ˈbætərɪ
cattery
ˈkætərɪ
chattery
ˈtʃætərɪ
clattery
ˈklætərɪ
directory
dɪˈrɛktərɪ
elementary
ˌɛlɪˈmɛntərɪ
factory
ˈfæktərɪ
history
ˈhɪstərɪ
introductory
ˌɪntrəˈdʌktərɪ
laboratory
ləˈbɒrətərɪ
mattery
ˈmætərɪ
military
ˈmɪlɪtərɪ
mystery
ˈmɪstərɪ
nattery
ˈnætərɪ
rattery
ˈrætərɪ
scattery
ˈskætərɪ
self-flattery
ˌsɛlfˈflætərɪ
shattery
ˈʃætərɪ
territory
ˈtɛrɪtərɪ

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE FLATTERY

flatted
flatten
flattener
flatter
flatterable
flattered
flatterer
flatteries
flattering
flatteringly
flatterous
flatterously
flattest
flattie
flatties
flatting
flattish
flattop
flatty
flatulence

WORDS THAT END LIKE FLATTERY

assault and battery
buttery
cluttery
dry battery
dry-cell battery
eatery
field battery
fluttery
glittery
guttery
jittery
lottery
National Lottery
nuttery
postcode lottery
pottery
sluttery
solar battery
storage battery
tottery
twittery

Synonyms and antonyms of flattery in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

SYNONYMS OF «FLATTERY»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «flattery» and belong to the same grammatical category.
synonyms of flattery

Translation of «flattery» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF FLATTERY

Find out the translation of flattery to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of flattery from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «flattery» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

奉承
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

adulación
570 millions of speakers

English

flattery
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

चापलूसी
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

الإطراء
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

лесть
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

bajulação
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

স্তাবকতা
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

flatterie
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Pujian
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

Schmeichelei
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

お世辞
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

아첨
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Flattery
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

bợ đở
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

புகழ்ச்சி
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

खुशामत
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

dalkavukluk
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

adulazione
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

pochlebstwo
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

лестощі
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

lingușire
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

κολακεία
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

gevlei
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

smicker
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

smiger
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of flattery

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «FLATTERY»

The term «flattery» is quite widely used and occupies the 51.980 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Quite widely used
76
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «flattery» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of flattery
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «flattery».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «FLATTERY» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «flattery» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «flattery» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about flattery

EXAMPLES

10 QUOTES WITH «FLATTERY»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word flattery.
1
Minna Antrim
Between flattery and admiration there often flows a river of contempt.
2
Pietro Aretino
Flattery and deceit are the darlings of great men, and so with these men spread the butter on thick, if you want to get something out of them, otherwise you'll come home to me with a full belly and an empty purse.
3
Michael Berryman
Imitation is flattery, and The Hills Have Eyes is a classic.
4
Josh Billings
Flattery is like cologne water, to be smelt, not swallowed.
5
Joyce Brothers
Listening, not imitation, may be the sincerest form of flattery.
6
Edmund Burke
Flattery corrupts both the receiver and the giver.
7
Italo Calvino
Although I am small, ugly and dirty, I am highly ambitious, and at the slightest flattery, I immediately start to strut like a turkey.
8
Kate Chopin
I trust it will not be giving away professional secrets to say that many readers would be surprised, perhaps shocked, at the questions which some newspaper editors will put to a defenseless woman under the guise of flattery.
9
John Churton Collins
To ask advice is in nine cases out of ten to tout for flattery.
10
Charles Caleb Colton
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «FLATTERY»

Discover the use of flattery in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to flattery and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
In Praise of Flattery
This is a book for those who would understand the history, tactics, and pleasures of flattery, not least the thrill of danger. ¯ ?O, flatter me, for love delights in praises.
Willis Goth Regier, 2007
2
Friendship, Flattery, and Frankness of Speech: Studies on ...
The essays examine this triad in Philodemus and Plutarch, discuss Paul's use of friendship language in Philippians, and explore the concept of parrhesia in Paul, Acts, Hebrews, and the Johannine corpus.
John T. Fitzgerald, 1996
3
You're Too Kind: A Brief History of Flattery
From the primates to the ancient world all the way to Hollywood, "You're Too Kind" presents a primer on flattery--where it originated, its development through the ages, and its myriad uses in contemporary culture.
Richard Stengel, 2002
4
Foghorn Flattery and the Vanishing Rhinos
Barbara Steiner. else can.” Foghorn came to meet Minto, too. He extended his hand. “I'm glad to meet you. Do you live around here?” “Sure.” Minto shook Foghorn's hand and continued to smile. “My village near here. You comeand visit .
Barbara Steiner, 2014
5
Vicious Praise: Flattery in Late Medieval English Politics ...
This dissertation argues that late medieval English literature was often forced to define itself against and around the problem of flattery, a notion which was used to encapsulate a wide range of cultural and linguistic corruptions.
Amanda Walling, 2007
6
Foghorn Flattery and the Dancing Horses
When a Vienna show horse is stolen, the Flattery siblings will stop at nothing to find the steed and solve the case C.C. and Foghorn Flattery love traveling around the world with their dad for his freelance writing assignments.
Barbara Steiner, 2014
7
The Chronicle
Tliis almost universal use of flattery seems to result from a principle in human nature. Men prefer to hear something pleasing rather than the cold truth ; and if truth and pleasantry do not coincide they prefer the latter. Flattery answers this desire; ...
8
A Dictionary of American Proverbs
5. Flattery butters no parsnips. Rec. dist.: Ohio. 6. Flattery is a vice disguised as a virtue. Rec. dist.: Ill. 7. Flattery is like an empty tomb on which friendship is inscribed. Rec. dist.: Mich. 8. Flattery is not a proof of true admiration. Rec. dist.: Kans.
Wolfgang Mieder, Stewart A. Kingsbury, Kelsie B. Harder, 1992
9
A Dictionary of Poetical Illustrations: Specially Selected ...
I pass through flattery's gilded sieve Whatever I would say. — Miss London. 1276. FLATTERY. Baseness of No adulation ; 'tis the death of virtue ! Who flatters is of all mankind the lowest, Save he who courts the flatterer. Hannah More. 1277.
Robert Aitkin Bertram, 1877
10
Summa Theologica, Volume 3 (Part II, Second Section)
W12 must now consider the vices opposed to the aforesaid virtue: (1) Flattery, and (2) Quarreling. Concerning flattery there are two points of inquiry: (1) Whether flattery is a sin? (2) Whether it is a mortal sin? FIRST ARTICLE Whether Flaflery ls ...
St Thomas Aquinas, 2013

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «FLATTERY»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term flattery is used in the context of the following news items.
1
10 best outdoor adventures in Tillamook County: Wild about Oregon …
You need to go south to Point Reyes in California or north to Cape Flattery in Washington to be surrounded by so much open ocean without ... «OregonLive.com, Jul 15»
2
Netanyahu makes thinly-veiled threat to the High Court
As we know, no one was ever slapped for flattery. But a sycophantic, boot-licking show like this, divorced from all context or logic, leaves flattery ... «Haaretz, Jul 15»
3
No more Reagan reminders
Remember the adage: Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Nina Doyle Orlando. Faster fix needed for grandparents' rights. Thanks to July 1 ... «Orlando Sentinel, Jul 15»
4
Shrewsbury postal center to remain open
John H. Flattery, president of the American Postal Workers Union AFL-CIO Local 4553, which represents workers at the plant, said he was ... «Wicked Local Shrewsbury, Jul 15»
5
Setting the Record Straight on Switching Jobs
“They usually come with some form of flattery, promises, and even better conditions,” he says. But be careful, he warns: “In my three decades of ... «blogs.hbr.org, Jul 15»
6
The GOP doesn't have a Donald Trump problem. It has an angry …
And the underdog candidates, meanwhile, pin their entire campaigns on these voters, hoping that the flattery will pay off in a surge of support, ... «The Week Magazine, Jul 15»
7
Trump is a bad deal for the GOP
History is full of failed men who mistook flattery for insight. lRelated Liberals are playing a racial shell game · Opinion · Liberals are playing a ... «Baltimore Sun, Jul 15»
8
Self/less Puts Silicon Valley's Dream of Immortality on the Screen
In Self/less, Hale fears death, but the corporation behind shedding, Phoenix Biogenics, uses flattery to finally convince him to take the plunge. «PC Magazine, Jul 15»
9
12 Best Bronzers Guaranteed to Take Your Summer Glow to J.Lo …
Figure Flattery: Charlotte Tilbury Supermodel Body: "Firming, sculpting and shimmering glamour in an easy to apply cream. Perfect for a ... «E! Online, Jul 15»
10
Van Halen's 1978 Debut Album Turned Rock Music Around and …
Eddie recently said to Billboard of his '80s-era imitators: “I did not take it as flattery.” Years ago, I asked David Lee Roth about Van Halen's ... «Radio.com Music and Entertainment News, Jul 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Flattery [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/flattery>. Apr 2024 ».
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