| Flatter 1. (n.) One who, or that which, makes flat or flattens. 2. (n.) A flat-faced fulling hammer. 3. (n.) A drawplate with a narrow, rectangular orifice, for drawing flat strips, as watch springs, etc. 4. (v. t.) To treat with praise or blandishments; to gratify or attempt to gratify the self-love or vanity of, esp. by artful and interested commendation or attentions; to blandish; to cajole; to wheedle. 5. (v. t.) To raise hopes in; to encourage or favorable, but sometimes unfounded or deceitful, representations. 6. (v. t.) To portray too favorably; to give a too favorable idea of; as, his portrait flatters him. 7. (v. i.) To use flattery or insincere praise. Thesaurus Entries adorn, adulate, apotheosize, beautify, become, beguile, belaud, bend the knee, bepraise, beslobber, beslubber, blandish, bless, blow up, boast of, bootlick, bow, bow and scrape, brag about, brown-nose, butter up, cajole, celebrate, coax, complement, compliment, conceit, court, cower, crawl, creep, cringe, crouch, cry up, decorate, deify, embellish, emblazon, enhance, eulogize, exalt, extol, fawn, fawn upon, finish, flannel, glorify, grovel, hero-worship, idolize, inveigle, kneel, kowtow, laud, lick the dust, lickspittle, lionize, magnify, make fair weather, make much of, oil, oil the tongue, ornament, overpraise, palaver, panegyrize, pay tribute, perfect, play up to, porter aux nues, praise, puff, puff up, salute, shine up to, slobber over, soft-soap, stoop, suck up to, suit, sweet-talk, toadeat, toady, toady to, truckle, truckle to, trumpet, wheedle |