flatter
gb/flˈætɚ/ us/flˈætɚ/
A2
Angličtina
~ 7000
Významy
0 významů
Sloveso
B2
action
1
praise to please or gain favor
To say nice things to someone, often not 100% true, so they like you or give you what you want.
Vzorec užití:
to flatter [someone]
Častá chyba:
Learners sometimes think 'flatter' always means honest, positive praise, like 'compliment'. However, 'flatter' often suggests the speaker may not be fully sincere and is trying to get something. For clearly positive, honest praise, 'compliment' is usually better.
Synonyma
butter up (Informal and clearly suggests insincere praise to get a benefit.)
|
sweet-talk (Informal; focuses on charming speech to persuade, often manipulative.)
|
pay compliments (More neutral; may or may not be insincere or for advantage.)
Antonyma
insult (Instead of giving praise to please someone, you say something rude or offensive.)
|
criticize (Focuses on pointing out faults rather than giving praise to gain favor.)
Kolokace
flatter someone
|shamelessly flatter
|openly flatter
|flatter the boss
|flatter someone into [doing something]
|try to flatter
Témata
social
|emotions
|communication
|business
Příklady
- He keeps trying to flatter the manager, hoping it will help him get promoted.
- Don’t flatter me just because you want a favor.
- The salesman flattered her intelligence to convince her to sign the contract.
- She knew he was only flattering her to change her mind.
- They flattered the politician endlessly during the dinner.
Učební příklady
- He flatters his teacher because he wants good grades.
- She flattered the boss to get a better job.
- Don’t try to flatter me to get more money.
- The man flattered her so she would buy the car.
Sloveso
B2
action
2
please someone with praise
To say good things about someone so they feel happy, proud, or special.
Vzorec užití:
to be flattered (by/that [clause])
Častá chyba:
Learners sometimes say *'I am very proud'* when they really mean *'I am flattered'* as a polite response to praise. 'Flattered' is used when someone says something nice about you and you want to show polite pleasure.
Synonyma
honor (More formal; emphasizes respect and recognition rather than emotional pleasure alone.)
|
please (More general; means to make someone happy, not specifically through praise.)
|
compliment (Focuses on the act of saying something nice; does not automatically include the feeling of being proud or honored.)
Antonyma
offend (Instead of making someone feel pleased and proud, you hurt their feelings.)
|
embarrass (Makes someone feel uncomfortable or shy, not pleased or honored.)
Kolokace
be flattered
|really flattered
|deeply flattered
|flattered that [clause]
|flattered by the attention
Témata
emotions
|social
|communication
Příklady
- I’m flattered that you asked me for advice.
- She was clearly flattered by all the kind words in the speech.
- He said he was flattered to be invited to speak at the conference.
- They were flattered that so many people came to their exhibition.
- It flattered her that the children trusted her so much.
Učební příklady
- I am very flattered by your invitation.
- She was flattered when he called her a great teacher.
- He felt flattered that they chose his idea.
- They were flattered by the nice comments.
Sloveso
B2
action
3
make something look more attractive
To make a person or thing look nicer or better than in real life.
Vzorec užití:
[something] flatters [someone/something]
Častá chyba:
Learners sometimes confuse 'flatter' with 'flutter' (to move quickly up and down) because the words look similar. In this sense, 'flatter' is often used with clothes, photos, or light, and it is not about movement.
Synonyma
enhance (More formal and general; means to improve or increase the good qualities, not limited to appearance.)
|
beautify (Focuses directly on making something more beautiful, without the suggestion of being better than reality.)
|
idealize (Often used for descriptions or images that make something seem perfect and unrealistic.)
Antonyma
unflattering (Typically used as an adjective for clothes, photos, or descriptions that make someone look worse.)
|
distort (Suggests changing the appearance or description in a way that is misleading and often negative, not more attractive.)
Kolokace
flatter the figure
|flatter your shape
|clothes that flatter
|lighting that flatters
|a photo that flatters
Témata
appearance
|art
|arts_entertainment
|clothing
Příklady
- This dress really flatters your figure.
- Soft lighting can flatter almost any face.
- The portrait flatters him; in real life he looks much older.
- The review flatters the film more than it deserves.
- Those photos don’t flatter me at all.
Učební příklady
- That color flatters your skin.
- The camera lighting flatters her face.
- The picture flatters him; he looks younger in it.
- These jeans do not flatter my body.
Sloveso
informal
C1
action
4
wrongly believe something good about oneself
To think something good about yourself that is probably not really true or is too much.
Vzorec užití:
to flatter yourself (that [clause])
Častá chyba:
Learners sometimes translate this literally and say *'Don’t say nice things to yourself'*; however, 'Don’t flatter yourself' really means 'Don’t think you are so important, special, or attractive.' It is often slightly critical or humorous.
Synonyma
fool yourself (Suggests believing something false in general, not only something that makes you look good.)
|
kid yourself (Informal; similar idea of self-deception, often used when expectations are unrealistic.)
|
boast (Means to talk proudly about yourself; does not necessarily include the idea that the belief is false.)
Antonyma
underestimate yourself (To believe you are less capable or attractive than you really are, the opposite of overvaluing yourself.)
|
be realistic (To see yourself as you truly are, not better than you are.)
Kolokace
don’t flatter yourself
|you flatter yourself
|flatter yourself that [clause]
|I flatter myself that [clause]
Témata
emotions
|thinking
|core_vocabulary
Příklady
- Don’t flatter yourself; he wasn’t talking about you.
- You flatter yourself if you think they all came just to see you.
- I flatter myself that I handled the situation quite well.
- She flatters herself that she’s the best player on the team.
- He’s flattering himself if he imagines they’ll offer him the job.
Učební příklady
- Don’t flatter yourself; you are not that important.
- You flatter yourself if you think everyone loves your ideas.
- He flatters himself that he is the best singer.
- She flatters herself when she talks about her skills.
adjective
A2
property
5
more flat; more level surface
The comparative form of 'flat': more flat or more even than another thing.
Vzorec užití:
[something] is flatter than [something]
Častá chyba:
Learners sometimes use *'more flat'* instead of *'flatter'*. Both are understandable, but 'flatter' is the more natural comparative form of 'flat' in most cases.
Synonyma
more level (Plain descriptive phrase; emphasizes being even rather than specifically 'flat'.)
|
less steep (Used mainly for slopes or hills; emphasizes reduced angle rather than overall flatness.)
Antonyma
steeper (Opposite when talking about slopes or hills; the angle to horizontal is greater, not flatter.)
|
bumpier (Opposite for surfaces; has more raised and uneven parts.)
Kolokace
flatter surface
|flatter area
|flatter shoes
|flatter ground
|flatter landscape
Témata
shape
|space
|core_vocabulary
Příklady
- This part of the trail is much flatter than the section we just climbed.
- The land becomes flatter as you move towards the coast.
- These shoes are flatter and more comfortable for walking.
- The second pancake is flatter than the first one.
- The new road is wider and flatter than the old one.
Učební příklady
- The ground here is flatter than in the mountains.
- Her shoes are flatter than mine.
- This area is flatter and easy to walk on.
- The table is flatter on this side.
Gramatika
Slovníkový tvar
flatter
IPA
GB/flˈætɚ/
US/flˈætɚ/
Slabiky a přízvuk
flat - ter (2 slabiky)
Stress on 1st syllable (flat)
Tvary slova
Verb
- Base: flatter
- 3rd Person Singular: flatters
- Present Participle: flattering
- Past: flattered
Příbuzná slova
Forms
flatters
verb
flattering
verb
flattered
verb
Core family
flattery
noun B2
Related words
flatterer
noun
Negative and opposite forms
unflattering
adjective
Advanced or less common
flatteringly
adverb
unflatteringly
adverb
Výrazy
flatter someone’s ego
1/flˈætɚ sˈʌmwˌʌnz ˈiɡoʊ/
fixed phrase
praise to boost someone’s ego
To say nice things to someone so they feel more important or proud, often more than they should.
Příklady
- He loves it when people flatter his ego.
- The advertisement is clearly designed to flatter the customer’s ego.
flatter to deceive
1/flˈætɚ tə dɪsˈiv/
idiom
seem good at first but disappoint
To seem better or more successful at first than it really is, so that people are misled or later disappointed.
Příklady
- Their early success may flatter to deceive; the real test will come next year.
- The pretty design flatters to deceive, but the software is slow and unstable.
flatter yourself
1/flˈætɚ jʊɹsˈɛlf/
idiom
informal
believe you are more important than you are
To think you are more important, attractive, or popular than you really are, often said in a critical or joking way.
Příklady
- Don’t flatter yourself; they didn’t organize the party just for you.
- You flatter yourself if you think your email changed their decision.
I’m flattered
1/ˈaɪm flˈætɚd/
fixed phrase
polite response to praise
A polite way to say that someone’s nice words or invitation make you feel pleased and honored.
Příklady
- “You’re the best teacher I’ve ever had.” “I’m flattered.”
- “We’d like you to lead the team.” “I’m flattered you asked me.”