adj, noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   The action of the verb to flatter.
2. 2
   Instances of flattery.

Verb

1. 1
   present participle and gerund of flatter form-of, gerund, participle, present

Adjective

1. 1
   Attractive or good-looking; that makes one look good.

   "The dress really did not look very flattering on her figure."

2. 2
   Gratifying to one's self-esteem; complimentary.
3. 3
   That which represents too favorably.

Adjective

1. 1
   showing or representing to advantage wordnet
2. 2
   obsequiously complimentary wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

becomingadulatorycomplimentaryingratiatingabjectacclamatory

Antonyms

All antonyms

sharpunbecomingunflattering

Example

More examples

"That new biography of the prince puts him in a less than flattering light."

Etymology

From Middle English flatering, flatrung (gerund), equivalent to flatter + -ing.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.