flattery
/ˈflæt.ɚ.i/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.96 in modern English
14
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "Don't you know that some of his contributions here are pure flattery?"
- "That the young Mr. Churchills liked—but they did not like him coming round of an evening and drinking weak whisky-and-water while he held forth on railway debentures and corporation loans. Mr. Barrett, however, by fawning and flattery, seemed to be able to make not only Mrs. Churchill but everyone else do what he desired."
- "“All of a sudden, one day, everyone was taking 0.5 selfies,” she said. Wherever Gen Z gathers these days, a 0.5 selfie is almost bound to be taken, capturing the moment with random flattery — or comical lack thereof. The 0.5 selfies are showing up on Instagram, proliferating in group chats, becoming the talk of parties and often being snapped to chronicle the minutiae of daily life."
- "[US president Donald] Trump has developed a warm relationship with [NATO Secretary-General Mark] Rutte, who courted the president at last June’s NATO summit with effusive flattery and commitments to boosting European members’ “fair share” of alliance spending."
- "But I pitty the flatteries, and ſelfe-applauſes of a careleſſe and impenitent heart: This jollity hath in it much danger, and vvithout ſome change, death."
Etymology
From Middle English flaterye, flaterie, from Old French flaterie, from the verb flater (“to flatter”). By surface analysis, flatter + -y (forming abstract nouns).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: flaterye, flaterie, Ó Flaithre
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈflæt.ɚ.i/
- British English: /ˈflæt.ə.ɹi/