What's the difference between compliment and flattery?

Compliment


Definition:

  • (n.) An expression, by word or act, of approbation, regard, confidence, civility, or admiration; a flattering speech or attention; a ceremonious greeting; as, to send one's compliments to a friend.
  • (v. t.) To praise, flatter, or gratify, by expressions of approbation, respect, or congratulation; to make or pay a compliment to.
  • (v. i.) To pass compliments; to use conventional expressions of respect.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) To be fair to lads who find themselves just a bus ride from Auschwitz, a visit to the camp is now considered by many tourists to be a Holocaust "bucket list item", up there with the Anne Frank museum, where Justin Bieber recently delivered this compliment : "Anne was a great girl.
  • (2) He shrugs in bemusement at what is, to him, a meaningless compliment.
  • (3) The person giving the official Coalition briefing described the discussion between current and former leaders as an “almost nauseating exchange of compliments”.
  • (4) Methods that compliment, reflect, and are consistent with developmental needs of the young teen provide cogent approaches to teen pregnancy prevention.
  • (5) When, exactly, did the work "dark" become a reverential compliment, as opposed to merely a neutral description?
  • (6) It always surprises me that this movie came out as recently as 1992 because this film has the definite feel of the late 80s to me, something from the same era as, say, Weekend at Bernie's and other such classics (as regular readers will know by now, there are no higher compliments from me).
  • (7) At 52, Stewart has the bouncy energy of a man half his age and, unlike most in the public eye, has an aversion to compliments.
  • (8) In a perverse way, it’s a backhanded compliment to what is after all a young coach (he’ll turn 41 at the end of the month) that Kreis, at RSL, gets treated as part of the MLS furniture.
  • (9) She has won compliments for her elegant clothing and her interactions with ordinary people in a country where it is rare to see leaders' spouses or children in public.
  • (10) Those are words you wouldn’t use again.” ‘I know I’m stronger than most people I know.’ She adds that the word “cockroach” was actually intended as a kind of compliment: “The picture in my mind was these resilient creatures.
  • (11) When my wife said she was the Shaq to my Kobe, what she really meant to say is that she compliments me and makes me whole, hopefully without the animosity.
  • (12) In type III allergy, compliment activation plays an important role.
  • (13) When I got upset about this I was told I should take it as a compliment.
  • (14) However, further studies must be carried out to verify this finding before using the information to compliment other prognostic variables, such as age of patient, previous therapy, cytokinetics, etc.
  • (15) There was no intention to exploit anyone or indeed supply cheap labour; our time in training and people investment shone through on the day with compliments from officials at how well turned out and efficient our team was.
  • (16) I think we showed belief on the pitch and obviously Leicester, compliments to them, but we have to try to chase them.
  • (17) Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) can be subdivided into three epochs: 1. from its inception by Dotter and Judkins up to the first coronary artery stenosis dilatation with the Grüntzig balloon catheter system; 2. from the introduction of coronary stenosis dilatation by Grüntzig up to its unequivocal acceptance; 3. the period of influence of low-risk coronary dilatation on peripheral angioplasty and the search for techniques to compliment or obviate the need for balloon dilatation.
  • (18) The program targeted both nonverbal responses related to the actual execution of the ball game as well as verbal responses for play initiation and providing compliments for the confederate's behavior.
  • (19) In one sense, Jenkins won outright - over and again, critics have complimented the film for presenting a version of Wuornos that is "not sympathetic".
  • (20) For the first time, foreigners didn't ask awkward questions about the war, but complimented us on our hospitality and the beauty of our cities.

Flattery


Definition:

  • (v. t.) The act or practice of flattering; the act of pleasing by artiful commendation or compliments; adulation; false, insincere, or excessive praise.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) But when I started turning up at strategy meetings at 6.45am each day in Millbank Tower, key planners such as Robin Cook and Patricia Hewitt took to going into corridors and lowering their voices, making it obvious that they disapproved of my presence, which they regarded as proof of Kinnock’s fatal susceptibility to flattery.
  • (2) For decades, Iran has fueled the fires of sectarian conflict and terror.” The Saudis read Trump accurately from the time he took office – they understood that he craved flattery and respect.
  • (3) That's because at the root of this pro-censorship case is self-flattery: the idea that one is so intrinsically Good and Noble and Elevated that one is incapable of hatred: only those warped people over there, those benighted souls, are plagued with such poison.
  • (4) Asked about the BBC's new venture, Ed O'Keefe, editor-in-chief of NowThis News, said: "We're blushing – imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, after all.
  • (5) They say that imitation is the best form of flattery.
  • (6) Arab leaders, especially the oil-rich monarchs, are used to flattery since they live with it every day.
  • (7) Read more Hunt didn’t pick this fight , but he’s deploying the strategy of every beleaguered health secretary since Aneurin Bevan: threats, flattery, promises and pledges.
  • (8) Even his exaggerated politeness and flattery comes across as either patronising or false.
  • (9) You could have been a movie star,” says Stone, looking at the screen and playing the flattery card.
  • (10) I think one has to be careful not to succumb to flattery.” Earlier in the day, the House speaker, Paul Ryan, faced several questions pertaining to Trump’s appearance at the foreign policy town hall.
  • (11) This one is said to have belonged to a disciple, the painter Sir Peter Lely, who lavished equal flattery on the court of Charles II.
  • (12) In April, Minecraft received the priceless flattery of a parody on The Simpsons .
  • (13) One of the interesting things about Head of State is how comfortable Marr is with the ways in which information can be extracted – by journalists from politicians, by politicians from journalists, by power-brokers from each other – with a mix of flattery and veiled threat, long memories and manipulation.
  • (14) Asked what he thought of Sky's new Saturday schedule, which will segue from its Football League lunchtime match, to Soccer Saturday, to its new regular teatime live Premier League game and then Football First in front of a studio audience, Watson said: "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery."
  • (15) The word from Fleet: 'I don't see Theresa May as another backstabber' Read more You might cling to the butler’s mole theory even as you worry that your hopes are loosening your grip on reality: the powerful faction that wanted to remain, and whispered flattery and enticements in Gove’s ear, has cleared the field of Johnson, the other side’s most powerful contender, and eased one of its own into place as PM.
  • (16) The negative view is the depressing capacity of right-thinking media representatives to tame "extremists", showing that everyone, even the most eccentric dissidents, are susceptible to flattery, inclusion and the kindness of power.
  • (17) Supervisors are alerted to hostile-dependent strategies, such as seductive flattery, that serve immediate ego-protective needs but ultimately block the attainment of fuller professional functioning.
  • (18) The immediate crisis can be traced back directly to Trump’s first trip abroad as president, to Riyadh on 20 May , when he was feted and showered with flattery.
  • (19) The Barcelona president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, continued his club’s flattery of Suárez on Wednesday when praising the forward for publicly apologising for biting the Italy defender despite his initial claim to Fifa that he fell into Chiellini teeth-first.
  • (20) Nobody has ever been as good as Jonathan Ross at straddling this funny-fawning axis, because it is nearly impossible (flattery has to be sincere; jokes have to be not sincere.