as in sucking (up to)
to praise too much
a flunky who shamelessly butters up the boss
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in soft soap
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for buttering up
Noun
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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
Verb
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Create some suspense and anticipation by going in slowly, starting with the head and just massaging it slightly with the tip of your tongue.—
Ian Kumamoto,
Them.,
10 Sep. 2025
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Certainly not once the front and rear heated seats and front massaging seats are powered on.—
Scotty Reiss,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Finished with butter, this chicken is at home served with Roasted Potatoes, green beans, or old-school Stick of Butter Rice.—
Elizabeth Nelson,
Southern Living,
12 Sep. 2025
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In a clip from the 2006 special, the Duggars detail their purchases, which include 24 cans of milk, a case of butter and plenty of burritos.—
Erin Clements,
PEOPLE,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Schafer noted that the Global Presidents account also posted videos featuring Beijing’s military parade and Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro praising Chinese cell phones, which were both popular topics in Chinese state media.—
Emily Baker-White,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
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Last week, Frank took to Instagram and shared a video of Kirk speaking about him and praising him for creating Christian music.—
Janelle Ash,
FOXNews.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The odds are that such sweet talk is going to inevitably run out or at least be intermittent.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
2 Aug. 2025
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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
Verb
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Conservative influencers including Chaya Raichik, author of the anti-trans hate account LibsOfTikTok, trashed those teams while commending those that asked their crowds to pause and reflect on the late provocateur.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
16 Sep. 2025
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Instead, Murphy drafted a resolution commending the students’ efforts and shared it with them.—
Teri Cadeau,
Twin Cities,
22 Aug. 2025
Noun
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According to Gaiani, drinking or using drugs before social situations is a major sign that your teen may be using alcohol to cope with fawning and to feel more comfortable or confident.—
Sarah Scott,
Parents,
25 Aug. 2025
Verb
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According to the pages labeled as court exhibits, Priscilla rushed to her daughter’s bedside and was holding her hand, stroking her face, and telling her she was loved as family members gathered.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
5 Sep. 2025
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No one wants to follow an ego-stroking social media account with zero content value.—
Peter Boyd,
Forbes.com,
22 Aug. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Buttering up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/buttering%20up. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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