Word
flatter
Phoneticsflat·ter, stress on the first syllable
US/ˈfɫætɝ/
UK/flˈætɐ/
Definition
v. to praise someone more than they deserve, often because you want something from them. It can also mean that something makes you look more attractive than usual.
v. to praise excessively or insincerely, typically to further one's own interests. Also used to describe a representation or garment that enhances the subject's appearance.
Examples
“He tries to flatter his boss to get a promotion.”
“I suspect he is only trying to flatter me because he needs a favor this weekend.”
“While the biographer intended to be objective, the final portrait tended to flatter the monarch by omitting his more controversial political failures.”
Examples
simple
“He tries to flatter his boss to get a promotion.”
contextual
“I suspect he is only trying to flatter me because he needs a favor this weekend.”
complex
“While the biographer intended to be objective, the final portrait tended to flatter the monarch by omitting his more controversial political failures.”
Usage
The verb is transitive and takes a direct object.
Pitfall
She flattered to him
She flattered him
Flatter is a transitive verb and does not take the preposition 'to' before the object.
Real-World Examples
“By the end, her stomach appears flatter - if a little red.” “The base model Pixel also has a flatter camera bar, which makes it a little more pocket-friendly.” Etymology
From flat + -er (comparative suffix). Compare Icelandic flatari (“flatter, more flat”).
From Middle English flatteren, flateren (“to flutter, float, fawn over”), probably a conflation of Old English floterian, flotorian (“to flutter, float, be disquieted”), from Proto-West Germanic flotrōn, from Proto-Germanic flutrōną (“to be floating”), from Proto-Indo-European plewd- (“to flow, swim”), equivalent to float + -er; and Old Norse flaðra (“to fawn on someone, flatter”), from Proto-Germanic flaþrōną (“to fawn over, flutter”), from Proto-Indo-European peled- (“moisture, wetness”), *pel- (“to gush, pour out, fill, flow, swim, fly”). Cognate with Scots flatter, flotter (“to float; splash; cover with liquid”), Middle Dutch flatteren (“to embellish, flatter, caress”), German flattern (“to flutter”). The word was also falsely associated with Middle French flatter (“to flatter, to caress with the flat of the hand”), from Old French flater (“to deceive by concealing the truth, to stroke with the palm of the hand”), from Frankish flat (“palm, flat of the hand”), from Proto-Germanic flatą, flatō (“palm, sole”), from flataz (“flat”), probably from Proto-Indo-European pleth₂-, *pleh₂- (“flat, broad, plain”); related to Old High German flazza (“palm, flat of the hand”), Old High German flaz (“level, flat”), Old Saxon flat (“flat”), Old Norse flatr (“flat”) (whence English flat), Old Frisian flet, flette (“dwelling, house”), Old English flet, flett (“ground floor, dwelling”). More at flat.
From flat (“to make flat, flatten”) + -er (agent suffix).
From flat (“dwelling, apartment”) + -er (residency suffix).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
NOUN
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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