flatter

[ flat-er ]

/ ˈflæt ər /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR flatter ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to try to please by complimentary remarks or attention.

to praise or compliment insincerely, effusively, or excessively: She flatters him by constantly praising his books.

to represent favorably; gratify by falsification: The portrait flatters her.

to show to advantage: a hairstyle that flatters the face.

to play upon the vanity or susceptibilities of; cajole, wheedle, or beguile: They flattered him into contributing heavily to the foundation.

to please or gratify by compliments or attentions: I was flattered by their invitation.

to feel satisfaction with (oneself), especially with reference to an accomplishment, act, or occasion: He flattered himself that the dinner had gone well.

to beguile with hope; encourage prematurely, falsely, etc.

verb (used without object)

to use flattery.

Origin of flatter

1175–1225; Middle English flat(t)eren to float, flutter, fawn upon, Old English floterian to float, flutter; for sense development, cf. flicker¹, Old Norse flathra; reinforced by Old French flatter to flatter, literally, to stroke, caress (probably < Frankish *flat- flat¹)

OTHER WORDS FROM flatter

flat·ter·a·ble, adjective flat·ter·er, noun flat·ter·ing·ly, adverb half-flat·tered, adjective

half-flat·ter·ing, adjective half-flat·ter·ing·ly, adverb un·flat·ter·a·ble, adjective un·flat·tered, adjective un·flat·ter·ing, adjective un·flat·ter·ing·ly, adverb

Words nearby flatter

flatmate, flats, flatscreen, flatstick, flatten, flatter, flatter oneself, flattery, flattie, flatties, flatting

Definition for flatter (2 of 3)

flatter ²

[ flat-er ]

/ ˈflæt ər /

noun

a person or thing that makes something flat.

a flat-faced blacksmith's tool, laid on a forging and struck with a hammer to smooth the surface of the forging.

a drawplate with a flat orifice for drawing flat metal strips, as for watch springs.

Origin of flatter

First recorded in 1705–15; flat¹ + -er¹

Definition for flatter (3 of 3)

flat ¹

[ flat ]

/ flæt /

adjective, flat·ter, flat·test.

horizontally level: a flat roof.

level, even, or without unevenness of surface, as land or tabletops.

having a surface that is without marked projections or depressions: a broad, flat face.

lying horizontally and at full length, as a person; prostrate: He was flat on the canvas after the knockdown.

lying wholly on or against something: The banner was flat against the wall.

thrown down, laid low, or level with the ground, as fallen trees or buildings.

having a generally level shape or appearance; not deep or thick: a flat plate.

(of the heel of a shoe) low and broad.

spread out, as an unrolled map or the open hand.

deflated; collapsed: a flat tire.

absolute, downright, or positive; without qualification: a flat denial.

without modification or variation: a flat rate.

Informal. lacking money; broke.

without vitality or animation; lifeless; dull: flat writing.

having lost its flavor, sharpness, or life, as wine or food; stale.

(of a beverage) having lost its effervescence.

without flavor; not spiced: flat cooking.

prosaic, banal, or insipid: a flat style.

pointless, as a remark or joke.

commercially inactive: a flat day in the stock market.

(of a painting) not having the illusion of volume or depth.

(of a photograph or painting) lacking contrast or gradations of tone or color.

(of paint) without gloss; not shiny; mat.

not clear, sharp, or ringing, as sound or a voice.

lacking resonance and variation in pitch; monotonous: a flat delivery of the speech.

Music.

(of a tone) lowered a half step in pitch: B flat.
below an intended pitch, as a note; too low (opposed to sharp).

Grammar. derived without change in form, as English to brush from the noun brush and adverbs that do not add -ly to the adjective form as fast, cheap, and slow.

Phonetics. lenis; voiced.

Nautical. (of a sail)

cut with little or no fullness.
trimmed as nearly fore-and-aft as possible, for sailing to windward.

flat a, the a-sound (a) of glad, bat, or act.

noun

something flat.

a shoe, especially a woman's shoe, with a flat heel or no heel.

a flat surface, side, or part of anything: He struck me with the flat of his hand.

flat or level ground; a flat area: salt flats.

a marsh, shoal, or shallow.

Music.

(in musical notation) the character ♭, which when attached to a note or to a staff degree lowers its significance one chromatic half step.
a tone one chromatic half step below another: The flat of B is B flat.
(on keyboard instruments, with reference to any given note) the key next below or to the left.

Theater. a piece of scenery consisting of a wooden frame, usually rectangular, covered with lightweight board or fabric.

a broad, thin book, chiefly for children: a juvenile flat.

Informal. a deflated automobile tire.

(in postal use) a large flat package, as in a manila envelope, for mailing.

Architecture. a flat roof or deck.

Nautical.

Also called platform. a partial deck between two full decks.
a low, flat barge or lighter.

Shipbuilding.

a broad, flat piece of iron or steel for overlapping and joining two plates at their edges.
a straight timber in a frame or other assembly of generally curved timbers.

an iron or steel bar of rectangular cross section.

Textiles. one of a series of laths covered with card clothing, used in conjunction with the cylinder in carding.

Photography. one or more negatives or positives in position to be reproduced.

Printing. a device for holding a negative or positive flat for reproduction by photoengraving.

Horticulture. a shallow, lidless box or tray used for rooting seeds and cuttings and for growing young plants.

a similar box used for shipping and selling fruits and vegetables.

Football. the area of the field immediately inside of or outside of an offensive end, close behind or at the line of scrimmage.

flats, Informal. flat races between horses. Compare flat race.

verb (used with object), flat·ted, flat·ting.

to make flat.

Music. to lower (a pitch), especially one half step.

verb (used without object), flat·ted, flat·ting.

to become flat.

adverb

in a flat position; horizontally; levelly.

in a flat manner; positively; absolutely.

completely; utterly: flat broke.

exactly; precisely: She ran around the track in two minutes flat.

Music. below the true pitch: to sing flat.

Finance. without interest.

Verb Phrases

flat in, Nautical. to pull the clew of (a fore-and-aft sail) as nearly amidships as possible. Also flatten in.

Origin of flat

1275–1325; Middle English < Old Norse flatr, akin to Old English flet (see flat²), Greek platýs (see platy-, plate¹

SYNONYMS FOR flat

1 plane. See level.

4 low, prone.

11 outright, peremptory, categorical.

14 boring, spiritless, prosaic.

17 vapid, unsavory.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR flat ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR flat

1, 4 upright, vertical.

14 spirited.

17 savory.

SEE ANTONYMS FOR flat ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM flat

flat·ly, adverb flat·ness, noun un·flat·ted, adjective

Example sentences from the Web for flatter

Americans may flatter themselves that they are governed more lightly than other advanced countries.

America's Kludgeocracy Democracy |David Frum |December 11, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
Book three will have to contend with postmodern times—the end of history, and the birth of a greyer, flatter world.

This Week’s Hot Reads: Sept. 10, 2012 |Jimmy So |September 10, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
My suggestion to conservative writers: candidates for high office are already surrounded by people paid to flatter them.

Comrade Ryan's Plan Has 110% Approval! |David Frum |August 16, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
In recent years, Wall Street investors have managed to flatter themselves with talk of being “job creators” and “risk takers.”

Jack Hitt Examines Why Amateurs Are the Job Creators |Jack Hitt |June 9, 2012 |DAILY BEAST

It goes without saying that the media landscape will be flatter.

Andrew Breitbart Dies at 43: Why He’ll Be Missed |Lloyd Grove |March 1, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
I dread to flatter myself and to be disappointed, I will write again, dearest mother, to-morrow.

Tales And Novels, Volume 8 (of 10) |Maria Edgeworth
His aunt's letter was evidently meant to please him and flatter his vanity, and she did not once refer to matters of business.

Cecilia |F. Marion Crawford
"You are a good woman, Mrs. Bays," continued Dic, with a deliberate and base intent to flatter.

A Forest Hearth: A Romance of Indiana in the Thirties |Charles Major
Antigua is lower, longer, and flatter than the other islands.

At Last |Charles Kingsley
Popular Prejudice has the natural instinct of yielding to any little weakness that may be imagined to flatter a Man.

Female Warriors, Vol. I (of 2) |Ellen C. Clayton

British Dictionary definitions for flatter (1 of 4)

flatter ¹

/ (ˈflætə) /

verb

to praise insincerely, esp in order to win favour or reward

to show to advantage that dress flatters her

(tr) to make to appear more attractive, etc, than in reality

to play upon or gratify the vanity of (a person) it flatters her to be remembered

(tr) to beguile with hope; encourage, esp falsely this success flattered him into believing himself a champion

(tr) to congratulate or deceive (oneself) I flatter myself that I am the best

Derived forms of flatter

flatterable, adjective flatterer, noun flatteringly, adverb

Word Origin for flatter

C13: probably from Old French flater to lick, fawn upon, of Frankish origin

British Dictionary definitions for flatter (2 of 4)

flatter ²

/ (ˈflætə) /

noun

a blacksmith's tool, resembling a flat-faced hammer, that is placed on forged work and struck to smooth the surface of the forging

a die with a narrow rectangular orifice for drawing flat sections

British Dictionary definitions for flatter (3 of 4)

flat ¹

/ (flæt) /

adjective flatter or flattest

horizontal; level flat ground; a flat roof

even or smooth, without projections or depressions a flat surface

lying stretched out at full length; prostrate he lay flat on the ground

having little depth or thickness; shallow a flat dish

(postpositive often foll by against) having a surface or side in complete contact with another surface flat against the wall

spread out, unrolled, or levelled

(of a tyre) deflated, either partially or completely

(of shoes) having an unraised or only slightly raised heel

mainly British

(of races, racetracks, or racecourses) not having obstacles to be jumped
of, relating to, or connected with flat racing as opposed to steeplechasing and hurdlingflat jockeys earn more

without qualification; total a flat denial

without possibility of change; fixed a flat rate

(prenominal or immediately postpositive) neither more nor less; exact he did the journey in thirty minutes flat; a flat thirty minutes

unexciting or lacking point or interest a flat joke

without variation or resonance; monotonous a flat voice

(of food) stale or tasteless

(of beer, sparkling wines, etc) having lost effervescence, as by exposure to air

(of trade, business, a market, etc) commercially inactive; sluggish

(of a battery) fully discharged; dead

(of a print, photograph, or painting) lacking contrast or shading between tones

(of paint) without gloss or lustre; matt

(of a painting) lacking perspective

(of lighting) diffuse

music

(immediately postpositive) denoting a note of a given letter name (or the sound it represents) that has been lowered in pitch by one chromatic semitoneB flat
(of an instrument, voice, etc) out of tune by being too low in pitchCompare sharp (def. 12)

phonetics another word for lenis

flat a phonetics the vowel sound of a as in the usual US or S Brit pronunciation of hand, cat, usually represented by the symbol (æ)

adverb

in or into a prostrate, level, or flat state or position he held his hand out flat

completely or utterly; absolutely he went flat against the rules

exactly; precisely in three minutes flat

music

lower than a standard pitch
too low in pitchshe sings flat Compare sharp (def. 18)

fall flat to fail to achieve a desired effect, etc

flat out informal

with the maximum speed or effort
totally exhausted

noun

a flat object, surface, or part

(often plural) a low-lying tract of land, esp a marsh or swamp

(often plural) a mud bank exposed at low tide

music

an accidental that lowers the pitch of the following note by one chromatic semitoneUsual symbol: ♭
a note affected by this accidentalCompare sharp (def. 19)

theatre a rectangular wooden frame covered with painted canvas, etc, used to form part of a stage setting

a punctured car tyre

the flat mainly British ((often cap.))

flat racing, esp as opposed to steeplechasing and hurdling
the season of flat racing

nautical a flatboat or lighter

US and Canadian a shallow box or container, used for holding plants, growing seedlings, etc

verb flats, flatting or flatted

to make or become flat

music the usual US word for flatten (def. 3)

Derived forms of flat

flatly, adverb flatness, noun

Word Origin for flat

C14: from Old Norse flatr; related to Old High German flaz flat, Greek platus flat, broad

British Dictionary definitions for flatter (4 of 4)

flat ²

/ (flæt) /

noun

a set of rooms comprising a residence entirely on one floor of a building Usual US and Canadian name: apartment

British and NZ a portion of a house used as separate living quarters

NZ a house shared with people who are not members of one's own family

verb flats, flatting or flatted (intr)

Australian and NZ to live in a flat (with someone)

Word Origin for flat

Old English flett floor, hall, house; related to flat 1

Idioms and Phrases with flatter

flat

In addition to the idioms beginning with flat

flat as a pancake
flat broke
flat on one's back
flat out

also see:

caught flat-footed
fall flat
in no time (nothing flat)
leave flat

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

flatter

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

Origin of flatter

OTHER WORDS FROM flatter

Words nearby flatter

Definition for flatter (2 of 3)

noun

Origin of flatter

Definition for flatter (3 of 3)

adjective, flat·ter, flat·test.

noun

verb (used with object), flat·ted, flat·ting.

verb (used without object), flat·ted, flat·ting.

adverb

Verb Phrases

Origin of flat

SYNONYMS FOR flat

ANTONYMS FOR flat

OTHER WORDS FROM flat

Words related to flatter

Example sentences from the Web for flatter

British Dictionary definitions for flatter (1 of 4)

verb

Derived forms of flatter

Word Origin for flatter

British Dictionary definitions for flatter (2 of 4)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for flatter (3 of 4)

adjective flatter or flattest

adverb

noun

verb flats, flatting or flatted

Derived forms of flat

Word Origin for flat

British Dictionary definitions for flatter (4 of 4)

noun

verb flats, flatting or flatted (intr)

Word Origin for flat

Idioms and Phrases with flatter