Lie is what keeps people from starting a war of all against all. Imagine if we started telling the truth to everyone? Our relationship would be in ruins. Therefore, you should not immediately tune in against some embellishment of reality. Why all this? In addition to the fact that the meaning of the word “flatter” is in the zone of special attention, we will also analyze its synonyms.
Meaning
Of course, most of us are used to the fact that flattery is bad. But the dictionary says that in our expectations we are not quite right. Because a verb derived from a noun has at least two meanings:
- Courage a person, give him false compliments, pursuing personal goals. Rich or powerful people know what it's like. You can also remember Ivan Andreevich Krylov's unforgettable fable "The Crow and the Fox", and everything will fall into place.
- Giving sincere compliments, trying to support the person. To indulge any feeling. “The pay the man was offered in this edition flattered his vanity.”
As you can see, the meaning of the word "flatter" cannot be unequivocally recognized as either bad or good. It all depends on the purpose of the statement and what meaning the speaker puts into the praise. What does the word “flatter” mean, we examined, but what can we replace it with?
Synonyms
After the meaning has surrendered to us practically without a fight, it is worth paying attention to replacement words and analogous phrases. Fortunately, there is no shortage of them:
- observe;
- to cringe;
- embellish reality;
- lie;
- lie;
- pretend;
- distort the actual state of affairs;
- support;
- praise;
- cheer.
Many people think that flattering words addressed to them are not spoken from a pure heart. But often we need the support of relatives, friends, colleagues. Is there a positive meaning for the word "flatter"? Certainly. Imagine a friend shows something, like a picture. It is poorly written, in a word, daub. Would a real comrade tell the truth in such a case? In no case, unless he planned to get rid of the unrecognized genius. True, Van Gogh also began to be praised not immediately. A cordial, kind person will praise a creative undertaking, suddenly something will come of it. Therefore, it is quite possible to flatter for good, the main thing is not to get carried away.
A fine line between "good" and "bad" flattery
Yes, flattery can be both an engine of progress and a factor in a person's regression. For example,the child learns to walk, and you praise him only for trying, although at first he falls at every step. It is the same with friends and relatives who do something not very well, but everyone shines from the inside, since their work brings them sincere pleasure. In this case, of course, it is not necessary to hit on the hands, if there is no harm to others from this. What does the word "flatter" mean in this case? It comes down to supporting, even the most useless, but pleasant enterprises of loved ones.
And it is completely different to act when a person tries to "saddle a dead horse", as they say about a hopeless case. For example, a guy does not have the ability to paint, but he spends a lot of money on various courses, master classes. And no result. In short, painting became a fixed idea for him. He harasses friends and acquaintances, borrows large sums for "sales of future masterpieces" and, of course, does not give back. It is better not to support such sentiments. However, if someone carefully hints to him that he has no talent, that he is vainly flattering himself with hopes, then tomorrow Shishkin or Magritte may be offended by a well-wisher.
Therefore, one should speak about such things carefully and not from evil. But this must be done without fail, otherwise further indulgence of whims can be fatal not only for capital, but also for the very life of the bearer of mythical talent. But let's not talk about sad things. We examined the meaning of the word "flatter" in detail and provided the study with detailed illustrations.
