Flattered

How to spell flattered

9 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce flattered

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does flattered mean?

1. adjectiveFeeling pleased or honoured by attention, praise, or a compliment.
2. verbPraised someone excessively or insincerely, or depicted a person more favourably than reality.

Flattered in a sentence

• adjective

  She felt deeply flattered when the company offered her the senior role.

• verb

  The salesman flattered every customer who walked through the door.

• adjective

  He was flattered that so many old colleagues travelled to his retirement party.

• verb

  That photograph clearly flattered him, since he looks far younger in it.

Where does flattered come from?

Language of origin: French

This is the past form of the verb 'flatter', which English took from the Old French 'flater', meaning to stroke or caress, and by extension to fawn over someone or smooth their feelings with pleasant words. The Old French verb is widely thought to come from a Germanic source connected to the idea of something 'flat', as in stroking with the flat of the hand, which links it loosely to the everyday word 'flat'. The word arrived in English during the 1200s and quickly settled into its modern double sense: praising someone beyond what is deserved, and making a person feel pleased or honoured. The double 't' that trips up writers reflects the short vowel before it, a familiar English spelling pattern seen in 'matter' and 'batter'. When the verb takes its '-ed' ending the single 'r' simply doubles the consonant rule already present, so the trap is really the middle 'tt' rather than the ending.

How the word is built

• flatter (to praise excessively, from Old French flater 'to stroke')
• -ed (past tense / past participle suffix)