FLAT'TERING, participle present tense

1. Gratifying with praise; pleasing by applause; wheedling; coaxing.

2. adjective Pleasing to pride or vanity; gratifying to self-love; as a flattering eulogy. The minister gives a flattering account of his reception at court.

3. Pleasing; favorable; encouraging hope. We have a flattering prospect of an abundant harvest. The symptoms of the disease are flattering

4. Practicing adulation; uttering false praise; as a flattering tongue.