flattery

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

Undue adulation

Nouns

1. flattery, adulation, blandishment, cajolery; fawning, wheedling, coquetry, sycophancy, flunkeyism, servility, toadying, incense, honeyed words, flummery, blarney; lip service, unctuousness. Informal, soft soap, sweet talk, stroking. Slang, snow job, banana oil, pot-licking, ego massage. See falsehood.

2. flatterer, adulator; eulogist; toady, flunky, sycophant, courtier; puffer, touter, claquer; parasite, hanger-on (See servility); coquette. Slang, brown-nose[r], ass-kisser, egg-sucker; starfucker.

Verbs — flatter, adulate, praise to the skies, puff; wheedle, cajole, coax; fawn (upon); blandish, humor, soothe, pet; overpraise, turn one's head; pay court to, court, curry favor with; overestimate, exaggerate (see exaggeration). Informal, soft soap, butter up, stroke [one's ego], lick one's boots, lay or spread it on thick, pull one's leg, string along. Slang, snow, honey up, grease, kiss ass.

Adjectives — flattering, adulatory; mealy- or honey-mouthed, honeyed, buttery, fawning, smooth, smooth-tongued; soapy, oily, unctuous, specious, obsequious; fine-spoken, sycophantic, fulsome, courtly.

Adverbs — flatteringly, fulsomely, fawningly, etc.

Phrases — flattery, like perfume, should be smelled, not swallowed.

Quotations — I suppose flattery hurts no one, that is, if he doesn't inhale (Adlai Stevenson), Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery (Charles Caleb Colton), But when I tell him he hates flatterers, he says he does, being then most flattered (Shakespeare), Let those flatter who fear: it is not an American art (Thomas Jefferson), For flattery is the bellows blows up sin (Shakespeare).

Antonyms, see detraction.

II

(Roget's IV) n.

Syn. adulation, blandishment, compliments, flattering remarks, gallantry, honeyed words, unctuousness, sycophancy, praise, fulsome praise, excessive compliment, plaudits, applause, eulogy, accolade, insincere commendation, false praise, commendation, tribute, encomium, puffery, cajolery, palaver, gratification, pretty speeches, soft words, fawning, toadying, wheedling, sweet talk, blarney, applesauce*, apple polishing*, banana oil*, soft soap*, eyewash*, hokum*, oil*, lip salve*, stroking*, strokes*, brown-nosing*, bootlicking*, ego massage*.

Ant. criticism*, censure, derision.

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus) n.

praise, compliment, adulation, tribute, eulogy, blarney, inflation, applause, sycophancy, blandishment, *brownnosing, *apple polishing, toadyism, *honeyed words, *snow job, gush, smarm, bootlicking, fawning, cajolery. Something nice someone tells you about yourself that you wish were true.''—Frank Malester.

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) noun Excessive, ingratiating praise: adulation, blandishment, blarney, incense2, oil, slaver. Informal: soft soap. Idiom: honeyed words. See PRAISE.