student asking question

Does "flatter" show positive emotion and does "creep out" show negative emotion? Or does "flatter" have a negative meaning that is sarcastic?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

To be "flattered" means to feel complimented, praised, or pleased. It isn't necessarily connected to a positive emotion always, but is used positively in this context. To be "creeped out," however, is always connected to a negative emotion. It means to feel uncomfortable or fearful because of something. Thus, we can understand the speaker's sentence to mean that he feels contrasting feelings: flattered (positive) vs. creeped out (negative). Ex: I'm flattered that you like me, but I have a boyfriend. Ex: Wow, I feel so flattered. Thank you for liking my music. Ex: My neighbor creeps me out. He always stands by the window watching me. Ex: I dislike horror movies, I always feel so creeped out by them.

Popular Q&As

03/24

Complete the expression with a quiz!