as in soft soap
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in sucking (up to)
to praise too much
a flunky who shamelessly butters up the boss
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for buttering up
Noun
-
People should wash any skin that comes into contact with the slurry with water and soft soap, before using a hand cream to avoid dryness and cracking.—
Lauren Penington,
The Denver Post,
2 Sep. 2024 -
Most of the questions aimed at the ironic American director of Raging Bull, Taxi Driver and Goodfellas were less softballs than soft soap, with reporters as interested in Scorsese’s favorite food — his mother’s lasagna recipe — as the movies in his peerless filmography.—
Scott Roxborough,
The Hollywood Reporter,
20 Feb. 2024
Noun
-
The original recipe calls for cashew butter in the topping, but peanut butter or almond butter will work as well.—
Sarah Martens,
Better Homes & Gardens,
30 Apr. 2025
-
Look for paleta shakes, waffle bowls and burritos, vegan dark chocolate and cookie butter, as well as mango, passion fruit and more.—
Melissa Oyler,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
From there, according to the report, the sweet talk quickly moves to messaging platforms like WhatsApp, Google Chat or Telegram.—
Sunny Nagpaul,
Fortune,
23 Apr. 2024
-
Just in case that gave Reba a leg up, don't let her sweet talk you.—
Meghan Overdeep,
Southern Living,
28 Feb. 2024
Noun
-
It has been brought to the forefront by Jey, who also uses it as a greeting or term of endearment.—
Shaheem Reid,
Variety,
19 Apr. 2025
-
If nothing else, this little term of endearment doesn't really seem exactly, well, endearing.—
Megan McCluskey,
TIME,
21 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Carro's paper suggests that obvious sycophancy significantly reduces user trust.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
21 Apr. 2025
-
Hierarchies breed a hell of a lot of sycophancy and resentment, and this one is no different.—
Hillary Kelly,
The Atlantic,
14 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Independence Police Chief Adam Dustman has announced an internal investigation into a November police shooting that killed a mother and her baby, while applauding the officer who fired the fatal bullets.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
21 Mar. 2025
-
Some Jewish groups are applauding the effort.—
Jeff Zeman,
Sun Sentinel,
18 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
In the hours, even days, after the best Royals season in a decade, an array of flattering messages flooded the phone of manager Matt Quatraro.—
Sam McDowell,
Kansas City Star,
23 Mar. 2025
-
Other Amazon shoppers are taking note, too, because the dress has an impressive 6,000 perfect ratings and 1,200 five-star reviews, with teachers and wedding guests alike sharing how comfy and flattering the dress is to wear to almost any occasion.—
Carly Totten,
Better Homes & Gardens,
19 Mar. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Buttering up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/buttering%20up. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share