What does it mean to flatter someone?

1 : to praise excessively especially from motives of self-interest He flattered her with comments about how youthful she looks. 2a archaic : beguile sense 2. b : to encourage or gratify especially with the assurance that something is right I flatter myself that my interpretation is correct.

Is flatter good or bad?

Flattery has a bad name. It’s associated with saying something upbeat but untrue in order to hoodwink its unsuspecting target for low personal gain. But there’s another form of flattery with more valuable and ethical ambitions.

What does flatter mean in texting?

to try to please by complimentary remarks or attention.

Why are you flattering me meaning?

verb. If someone flatters you, they praise you in an exaggerated way that is not sincere, because they want to please you or to persuade you to do something. [disapproval] I knew she was just flattering me. [ VERB noun]

What is the purpose of flatter?

Flattery (also called adulation or blandishment) is the act of giving excessive compliments, generally for the purpose of ingratiating oneself with the subject. It is also used in pick-up lines when attempting to initiate sexual or romantic courtship.

Is flattering an insult?

Flattering is a Loaded Word According to the Cambridge dictionary flattering means to “making someone look or feel better or more attractive than usual.” To say something flatters someone is a shallow compliment, which assumes that the wearer is simply wearing something to look better.

Is flattered an emotion?

Appeal to flattery is a fallacy in which a person uses flattery, excessive compliments, in an attempt to appeal to their audience’s vanity to win support for their side. The appeal to flattery is a specific kind of appeal to emotion.

What does it mean to flatter yourself to someone?

flatter (oneself) To hold a vain, self-congratulatory, and exaggeratedly high opinion of oneself and/or one’s achievements. Yeah, don’t flatter yourself—she only asked you out to dinner because she wants to ask you about your brother. To seem better or more promising than someone or something really is.

What is dondon’t flatter yourself?

don’t flatter yourself. a very annoying catch phrase, normally said by immature freshmen, that is used to down-play the fact that the speaker of the phrase isn’t as good at something as they claim they are. It is also used to annoy the crap out of everyone around them because the speaker could not think of something more intelligent to say.

How do you flatter yourself in a positive way?

flatter oneself Be gratified vainly by one’s own achievement; exaggerate one’s good points. For example, He flattered himself that his presentation at the sales conference was a success, or She flattered herself that she was by far the best skater at the rink.

What does don’t rate yourself too highly mean?

It’s another way of saying you’re exaggerating or lying, in order to make yourself look better. It means, don’t rate yourself too highly. It’s typically used when someone is puffing up some aspect of themselves and the other person doesn’t see that as warranted.