Home › Words › F › flatteryflattery/ˈflæt.ə.ɹi/flattery means A surname from Irish.flattery is pronounced /ˈflæt.ə.ɹi/.EtymologyBorrowed from Irish Ó Flaithre.nameA surname from Irish.nounExcessive praise or approval, which is often insincere and sometimes contrived to win favour.e.g.“Don't you know that some of his contributions here are pure flattery?”An instance of excessive praise.Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).Words closest in meaningBy meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.flatter 80% match — To compliment someone, often (but not necessarily) insincerely and sometimes to win favour. vs flattery →adulation 75% match — Flattery; fulsome praise. vs flattery →flatterous 73% match — flattering vs flattery →beflatter 72% match — To flatter greatly or excessively. vs flattery →blandiloquence 71% match — Flattery. vs flattery →fawning 71% match — Seeking favor by way of flattery; flattering, servile. vs flattery →flattersome 70% match — Marked by flattery; characteristically flattering vs flattery →arslikhan 69% match — Overt flattery, especially in print. vs flattery →