Definitions
- Describing excessive praise or flattery towards someone in a position of power or authority. - Referring to the act of fawning over someone to gain favor or advantage. - Talking about the act of showering someone with compliments and admiration to gain their approval or support.
- Referring to the act of praising someone to make them feel good or boost their confidence. - Describing the act of complimenting someone to gain their favor or approval. - Talking about the act of using insincere praise to manipulate or deceive someone.
List of Similarities
- 1Both involve giving praise or compliments to someone.
- 2Both can be used to gain someone's favor or approval.
- 3Both can be used to manipulate or deceive someone.
- 4Both can be insincere or exaggerated.
What is the difference?
- 1Intention: Adulate is often used to describe excessive or insincere praise, while flatter can be used to describe genuine or sincere praise.
- 2Audience: Adulate is often directed towards someone in a position of power or authority, while flatter can be directed towards anyone.
- 3Degree: Adulate is more extreme and excessive than flatter, which can be more moderate and subtle.
- 4Connotation: Adulate has a negative connotation of insincerity or excessive praise, while flatter can have a positive or neutral connotation of genuine praise or admiration.
- 5Formality: Adulate is more formal and less common than flatter, which is more versatile and can be used in both formal and informal contexts.
Remember this!
Adulate and flatter are both words that describe the act of giving praise or compliments to someone. However, the difference between adulate and flatter is their intention, audience, degree, connotation, and formality. Adulate is often used to describe excessive or insincere praise towards someone in a position of power or authority, while flatter can be used to describe genuine or sincere praise towards anyone. Additionally, adulate has a negative connotation of insincerity or excessive praise, while flatter can have a positive or neutral connotation of genuine praise or admiration.
