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Added 9 October 2026

flattery

/ˈflæt.ə.ɹi/ noun

In Latin: blanditia, adulatio Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about flattery at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Excessive praise or approval, which is often insincere and sometimes contrived to win favour.
Don't you know that some of his contributions here are pure flattery?
An instance of excessive praise.

Origin

From Middle English flaterye, flaterie, from Old French flaterie, from the verb flater (“to flatter”). By surface analysis, flatter + -y (forming abstract nouns).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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