What's the difference between flattery and praise?

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.

Praise


Definition:

  • (v.) To commend; to applaud; to express approbation of; to laud; -- applied to a person or his acts.
  • (v.) To extol in words or song; to magnify; to glorify on account of perfections or excellent works; to do honor to; to display the excellence of; -- applied especially to the Divine Being.
  • (v.) To value; to appraise.
  • (v.) Commendation for worth; approval expressed; honor rendered because of excellence or worth; laudation; approbation.
  • (v.) Especially, the joyful tribute of gratitude or homage rendered to the Divine Being; the act of glorifying or extolling the Creator; worship, particularly worship by song, distinction from prayer and other acts of worship; as, a service of praise.
  • (v.) The object, ground, or reason of praise.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) Squadron Leader Kevin Harris, commander of the Merlins at Camp Bastion, the main British base in Helmand, praised the crews, adding: "The Merlins will undergo an extensive programme of maintenance and cleaning before being packed up, ensuring they return to the UK in good order."
  • (2) Although they were praised in the last five years as the most efficient drugs against cancer and infectious diseases, no great success was clinically and experimentally reported in the past.
  • (3) In Experiment II, identification training, consisting of instructions, praise, feedback, and practice was introduced after baseline.
  • (4) The brightly lit ice palaces themselves are stunning, inside and out, and the sporting facilities have been rightly praised by almost all the athletes.
  • (5) Israel’s president has told his Mexican counterpart that he was “sorry for the hurt” over a tweet in which the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, appeared to praise Donald Trump’s plans to build a wall on the US-Mexican border.
  • (6) There was praise for existing programmes such as the Ferguson Youth Initiative, which gives young people the chance to earn a bike or a computer.
  • (7) It’s clear which way the ultra-right community around Ukip wishes to go: their timelines are full of praise for Marine Le Pen and Geert Wilders , and blazing with imagery – both real and fake – of migrant riots in France and Sweden.
  • (8) He praised the obvious disgust of local people in parts of south and west Manchester, where gang problems have been concentrated.
  • (9) The letter praised the company's progress in responding to the inspection.
  • (10) After the event, McCray praised the duchess on Twitter for her passion on issues of mental health and early childhood development, saying “her warmth and passion for the cause was infectious”.
  • (11) The video is done in the style of a news report for Russia's Kremlin-controlled Channel One channel, which normally praises Putin in every broadcast.
  • (12) "The hollow words of praise from the home secretary are meaningless today.
  • (13) The current president of the supreme court, Lord Phillips, who steps down at the end of September, welcomed his successor, praising his "wealth of judicial experience" and "ability to lead a collegiate court".
  • (14) Thokozile Masipa, a 68-year-old former journalist who was only the second black woman to be appointed to the high court, was praised for her calm authority despite her controversial original verdict.
  • (15) At the hearing, committee chairman Senator Patrick Leahy, praised the secret service as "wise, very professional men and women", and called it shocking that so many of the agency's employees were involved in the scandal.
  • (16) Sometimes in the other team’s half, sometimes in front of his own box, sometimes as the last man.” Die Zeit singles out Bayern’s veteran midfielder Schweinsteiger for praise: “In this historic, dramatic and fascinating victory over Argentina , Schweinsteiger was the boss on the pitch.
  • (17) For now, Shimizu will not allow the children in her care to be interviewed and brushes off praise for her selflessness.
  • (18) Boris Johnson , the London mayor, got into hot water last week when he praised the value of greed as a spur to progress and controversially suggested some people struggle to get on in life because of their low IQs.
  • (19) It brought back Thatcher biographer Hugo Young's words for a front page portrait that offered criticism as well as praise for her legacy.
  • (20) Behind the scenes, at least, it appears Anelka has proved a welcome addition to the club's ranks, with Berahino, who scored the visitors' third goal with a fizzing drive, praising the veteran as a positive influence on his fellow frontmen.