What does flattery mean?
Flattery is insincere or excessive praise, usually directed at someone in order to win their favour, approval, or practical advantage. Unlike an honest compliment, flattery is valued by the flatterer mainly as a tool: it may exaggerate the target's virtues, ignore real flaws, or say whatever seems most pleasing regardless of truth. The word carries a strongly negative connotation, and calling praise 'flattery' almost always casts doubt on the motives behind it. English speakers reach for the word constantly when describing courtiers, sycophants, salespeople, and workplace yes-men, and the dismissive retort 'flattery will get you nowhere' has become one of its most familiar expressions. The noun derives, through Old French, from a verb meaning to stroke or caress — a telling reminder that flattery has always worked by making its target feel good. Whether encountered in Shakespeare's courts or a modern boardroom, it remains a useful shorthand for charm deployed with an agenda.
nounExcessive or insincere praise, typically given to win favour or advantage from the person being praised.
- Insincere or excessive praise offered to gain favour or advantage.
- Pleasant but often undeserved compliments more broadly, sometimes given with genuine warmth.
"He rose through the ranks on a steady diet of flattery aimed at his superiors."
"She saw through his flattery immediately — he wanted a raise."
"A little flattery never hurt anyone, the host said as he complimented every guest at the door."
The plural is grammatically valid but rare in practice; flattery is most often treated as an uncountable mass of behaviour, and writers usually say 'so much flattery' or 'his constant flattery' instead.
"The courtier's flatteries grew ever more extravagant as the queen's power increased."
"Flattery will get you nowhere" — a cliché so entrenched it has become the standard way to wave away a sweet-talker.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of flattery
Flattery entered English from Old French, where the related verb flater meant to stroke, caress, or fawn over someone — a sense some scholars trace back further to a Germanic root referring to the flat of the hand. The Old French noun flaterie carried the same sense of servile praise, and English adopted it in the medieval period alongside the verb flatter. French retains flatterie as a direct cognate, and the underlying idea of winning someone over through soothing attention has kept the word's connotation remarkably stable across centuries.
Related word forms
How flattery is actually used
The word carries an overwhelmingly negative connotation of insincerity or manipulation, so using it implies criticism even when the praise described was well received. It is common in both formal and informal registers and appears frequently in moral and political commentary about sycophants and courtiers.
Easily confused with flattery
Flatter is the verb meaning to praise excessively, while flattery is the noun naming the praise itself.