What do you call someone who flatters? He is, of course, flattering, this is also not a very clear definition if we do not know the meaning of the noun "flattering" and the verb "to flatter". Therefore, we will reveal their meaning and select a synonym for the “hissing” word in order to better understand what is at stake.
Meaning of noun and verb
A person gets acquainted with deceit early. Have you noticed that small children lie quite a lot and with pleasure? First for the sake of art, then for the sake of salvation from punishment. Boys and girls quickly learn about their parents and unconsciously develop a certain behavior that brings them success.
Adults deceive each other quite deliberately. One form of deception is flattery. The dictionary defines it as follows: “Flattery is obsequious and insincere praise given to someone for the purpose of gaining.” It becomes clearer who the flatterer is. It's pretty simple, isn't it?
It's harder with the verb. It also has a positive meaning. The action “to flatter” has two meanings: one is similar to the definition of a noun, and the other is to please some feeling or someone else. An amazing transformation!Now we can move on to the substitutions for the “hissing” word “flattering”. This will help to reveal the meaning of the concept even better.
Synonyms
There are many names to define someone who shamelessly plays with another person's feelings. If we miss something, the reader is free to add to the list. Here it is:
- flatterer;
- sneak;
- deceiver;
- sycophant;
- pleaser;
- low worshiper;
- rogue;
- fraudster;
- henchman;
- lackey;
- slave;
- suck.
Flattery is all of the above and more. Because targeted flattery requires intelligence. Someone will say: "Cunning!" But that's whatever. Without a mind, a person is not able to calculate which qualities of the interlocutor should be praised, and which, on the contrary, should not be noticed.
The Crow and the Fox fable as an example of clever manipulation
Fox instantly assessed the situation: delicious cheese, not too smart its owner - Crow. The Predator easily figured out the weaknesses of the enemy and fired a volley from all her weapons of eloquence. The crow believed in the picture drawn by the Fox and "sang." How it ended, everyone knows. Flattery, of course, is “vile, harmful,” but you can’t deny the Fox deceiver’s mind, ingenuity and resourcefulness. Therefore, if a person says something inspiring to you, ask yourself: “Why is he complimenting me?” The answer to the question will allow you to build the right line of conduct. And yes, now you can safely use the word“flattering”, the main thing is that it should be in place.
