flatter

verb

/ˈflætə(r)/

/ˈflætər/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they flatter	/ˈflætə(r)/ /ˈflætər/
he / she / it flatters	/ˈflætəz/ /ˈflætərz/
past simple flattered	/ˈflætəd/ /ˈflætərd/
past participle flattered	/ˈflætəd/ /ˈflætərd/
-ing form flattering	/ˈflætərɪŋ/ /ˈflætərɪŋ/

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[transitive] flatter somebody to say nice things about somebody, often in a way that is not sincere, because you want them to do something for you or you want to please them奉承；讨好；向…谄媚
- Are you trying to flatter me?你是想讨好我？
[transitive] flatter yourself (that…) to choose to believe something good about yourself and your abilities, especially when other people do not share this opinion自命不凡
- ‘How will you manage without me?’ ‘Don't flatter yourself.’“没有我看你怎么办！” “别自以为了不起。”
Topics Opinion and argumentc2
[transitive] flatter somebody/something to make somebody look attractive; to make somebody seem more attractive or better than they really are使显得更漂亮；使胜过本人
- That colour doesn't flatter many people.那种颜色对很多人都不适宜。
- The scoreline flattered England (= they did not deserve to get such a high score).英格兰队的最终比分大大超过了其实力。
- He agreed to do the interview because it flattered his ego (= made him feel important).他同意接受采访，因为这迎合了他的自尊心。

Word OriginMiddle English: perhaps a back-formation from flattery.

Idioms

be/feel flattered

to be pleased because somebody has made you feel important or special被奉承得高兴；感到荣幸
- He was flattered by her attention.她的关注使他感到格外高兴。
- I felt flattered at being asked to give a lecture.承蒙邀请来演讲，我深感荣幸。
- She was flattered to hear that he had been asking about her.听说他一直在打听她，她颇感得意。
- I suppose we should be flattered that he agreed to come at all.他竟然同意来，我想我们应该感到荣幸。

flatter to deceive

(British English) if something flatters to deceive, it appears to be better, more successful, etc. than it really is显得比实际好；看似比实际成功
- As with many new bands, their early success flattered to deceive.和许多新乐队一样，他们早期的成功也是自欺欺人。
Topics Successc2