flatter
/ˈflætə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈflætər/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈfla-tər/ (ame, mw)
flatter — 動詞
- flatterpresent simple I / you / we / they
- flattershe / she / it
- flatteredpast simple
- flattering-ing form
1. to speak warmly to someone using words that are not completely honest, hoping to
奉承；諂媚
用不真誠的話討好
to speak warmly to someone using words that are not completely honest, hoping to win their approval or obtain a favour from them
Olu flattered the hiring manager by calling her ideas brilliant, hoping to get the job.
Olu 奉承面試官，稱她的想法很出色，希望能得到那份工作。
flatter + noun + by + gerund
Tomás knew the customer was just flattering him to receive a discount on the furniture.
Tomás 知道那名顧客只是在奉承他，好在家具上拿到折扣。
"Stop flattering me — I know my cooking is not that good!" laughed Sofia.
「別奉承我了——我知道自己的菜沒那麼好吃！」Sofia 笑著說。
The young artist flattered the gallery owner with glowing praise about her new collection.
那位年輕藝術家滿口讚美畫廊老闆的新收藏，藉此諂媚她。
Priya could tell the salesman was flattering her, but she bought the dress anyway.
Priya 看得出來業務員在奉承她，但她還是買了那件洋裝。
- criticize
to point out faults rather than exaggerate virtues
文法句型
flatter + noun
flatter + noun + into + gerund
用法筆記
Unlike the neutral verb 'praise', flatter implies that the speaker is motivated by self-interest rather than genuine admiration.
常見錯誤
2. to hold an overly positive opinion of your own qualities or achievements, often
自以為
高估自己的能力或情況
to hold an overly positive opinion of your own qualities or achievements, often without evidence that others would accept
Mateo flattered himself that he could complete the marathon, but he gave up after ten kilometres.
Mateo 自以為能跑完全程馬拉松，結果跑了十公里就放棄了。
flatter + oneself + that-clause for overconfidence
Yuki flattered herself that her Japanese was fluent, until a local gently corrected her pronunciation.
Yuki 自以為日語說得很流利，直到一位當地人客氣地糾正她的發音。
Dr. Chen flattered himself that the committee would accept his proposal without any changes.
陳博士自以為委員會會完全不修改就接受他的提案。
"Do not flatter yourself — she was just being polite, not interested," said Klaus with a grin.
「別自以為是了——她只是客氣，不是對你有意思，」Klaus 笑著說。
- delude oneself
stronger, implies self-deception rather than mere overestimation
- overestimate
less emotive, can be used for situations and quantities, not only self-belief
文法句型
flatter + oneself + that-clause
用法筆記
Nearly always used reflexively with 'oneself' — you cannot omit 'himself', 'herself', 'themselves', or 'myself'. The sense is often ironic, hinting that the belief is unrealistic.
常見錯誤
3. to create a false impression that something or someone is of higher quality or g
美化
使實際情況顯得更好
to create a false impression that something or someone is of higher quality or greater value than the facts would support
The team's early wins flattered their true ability — they lost the next ten matches.
球隊早期的幾場勝利美化了他們的真實實力——接下來他們連輸了十場。
flatter + noun describing deceptive performance
The company's quarterly report flattered its financial health by hiding several large debts.
那家公司的季度報告隱瞞了數筆巨額負債，美化了財務狀況。
Those online photos flatter the apartment; the kitchen is actually tiny and dark.
那些網路上的照片美化了這間公寓；廚房其實又小又暗。
The 3-0 scoreline flattered the home side, who had only one shot on goal all evening.
三比零的比數美化了主隊的表現，他們整場比賽只有一次射正球門。
- distort
can make things look better or worse; broader and more neutral
- gloss over
suggests hiding flaws rather than exaggerating merits
- understate
to represent something as less impressive than it actually is
文法句型
flatter + noun
用法筆記
Common with scores, statistics, photographs, and reports — anything that can give a misleadingly positive picture. The object is the thing being overrepresented.
常見錯誤
4. to experience a happy sense of pride when someone pays you attention, praises yo
感到榮幸
因受到讚美或重視而高興
to experience a happy sense of pride when someone pays you attention, praises you, or offers you something special
Fatima felt flattered when her professor asked her to co-author the research paper.
教授邀請 Fatima 合寫研究論文，她感到十分榮幸。
feel flattered + when-clause
Svetlana was flattered that the children remembered her birthday with a handmade card.
孩子們親手做了卡片來慶祝 Svetlana 的生日，讓她感到很榮幸。
be flattered + that-clause
Amir felt flattered to be invited to speak at the international education conference.
Amir 受邀在國際教育會議上演講，感到十分榮幸。
Olu was flattered by a stranger's comment that he looked like a professional musician.
有位陌生人說 Olu 長得像專業音樂家，讓 Olu 感到很高興。
- offended
feeling hurt or insulted rather than pleased
文法句型
be flattered + by + noun
be flattered + to + infinitive
feel flattered + that-clause
用法筆記
This sense describes the genuine emotional state of feeling pleased and proud when someone praises or values you. For the conventional polite formula used when gracefully declining an offer or acknowledging an unexpected compliment (often with 'but' + refusal), see the idiom 'be/feel flattered'.
常見錯誤
5. to improve the visual appeal of a person, body part, or object so that they look
襯托
使外表顯得更好看
to improve the visual appeal of a person, body part, or object so that they look better than usual
The long blue dress flattered Mei-Lin's figure and made her look taller and slimmer.
那件藍色長裙襯托出 Mei-Lin 的身材，讓她看起來更高挑。
clothing flatters body parts
Soft yellow lighting flattered the old wooden furniture in the living room.
柔和的黃色燈光襯托出客廳裡老舊木製家具的質感。
"That haircut does not flatter your face — it makes your cheeks look rounder," said Sofia honestly.
「那個髮型不襯托你的臉型——讓你的臉頰看起來更圓了，」Sofia 老實地說。
A simple black frame flattered the painting more than the heavy gold one did.
簡單的黑色畫框比厚重的金色畫框更能襯托出那幅畫的美。
- suit
more general — can describe compatibility (colours, styles, moods) beyond appearance
- complement
suggests two things enhance each other, not one-sided improvement
- unflattering
adjective form meaning 'making someone look unattractive'
文法句型
flatter + noun
用法筆記
The subject is typically clothing, lighting, colours, hairstyles, or frames — not a person. Unlike sense 1, this sense carries no implication of insincerity; the improvement in appearance is genuine.
常見錯誤
flatter — 名詞
1. a handheld tool, such as a hammer with a broad flat face, used to beat or press
平錘
使金屬變平的敲擊工具
a handheld tool, such as a hammer with a broad flat face, used to beat or press metal or other materials into a flat shape
The blacksmith picked up his flatter and struck the hot iron with a single firm blow.
鐵匠拿起他的平錘，對燒紅的鐵塊用力一擊。
Jewellers use a small flatter to smooth gold rings after soldering them together.
珠寶匠使用小型平錘在焊接後將金戒指敲平打磨。
specialist tool in jewellery
Tomás kept a flatter in his tool belt for shaping copper sheets on the workbench.
Tomás 的工具腰帶上掛著一把平錘，用來在工作檯上敲打銅片。
- planishing hammer
a specific type of flatter used for smoothing metal surfaces
用法筆記
Not to be confused with 'flatterer' (a person who flatters). This noun is a technical term used mainly in metalworking and jewellery-making contexts, and is unrelated to the verb senses in origin.