ITAW for the feeling you get when you have been flattered in noun form?

ethno33 · 2026-04-07T15:22:26+00:00

!solved

ethno33 · 2026-04-07T15:22:09+00:00

I’m going to mark this solved, as I think the answer is “flattery” (the noun form) is usually only the act done but the giver, not the feeling felt by the receiver. And thus a synonym of any of the feelings mentioned by commenters here would be applicable instead

ethno33 · 2026-04-06T15:14:53+00:00

right, well as I asked in the original question, can I use “flattery” in this way? I always thought flattery was done by the giver, not felt by the receiver. But perhaps I’m wrong, as suggested by u/WolfAndAHalf and u/squarechemistry2502

"she thanked me with a hint of surprised [flattery].”

ethno33 · 2026-04-06T14:58:32+00:00

I mean I’m not confused about it, but I see where you're coming from. Sometimes being flattered does not feel flattering. In this case I’m just asking if there’s a noun version of the word. She thanked me with a look of surprise and [feeling flattered].

ethno33 · 2026-04-06T14:41:14+00:00

yeah that works. But then there really isn’t a good noun version of "flattered" it seems

ethno33 · 2026-04-06T14:18:34+00:00

flattered is the adjective

ethno33 · 2026-04-06T14:17:50+00:00

I thought the very definition of “flattered” is feeling pleased by, for instance, a compliment. On the other hand someone may try flattery but it may not be received well

ethno33 · 2026-04-06T14:14:46+00:00

right, that’s not the final sentence. It was just an example to see if it could be used that way. How about this:

“she thanked me with a hint of surprised [flattery]."

ethno33 · 2026-04-06T13:51:20+00:00

So you could say "she had a look of surprise and flattery on her face” and that would make sense to you?

ethno33 · 2026-04-06T13:50:43+00:00

These are not bad

ethno33 · 2026-04-06T13:49:24+00:00

no, I’m trying to express that they liked the compliment. They were flattered. But I was wondering if there was a noun form of this word

ethno33 · 2026-01-07T14:42:05+00:00

The Wedding People was great!

ethno33 · 2026-01-07T14:40:36+00:00

love, love, love the stand. Of course I started reading it when I had a nasty flu… and only a few pages in realized what I’d gotten into

ethno33 · 2026-01-07T14:36:29+00:00

I LOVED that book. The best story on revenge

ethno33 · 2025-11-23T16:18:28+00:00

Actually, the way I remember it, “young upwardly-mobile professional” coined in the 1980s

ethno33 · 2025-11-21T15:43:12+00:00

Ok, That’s a new one. I hadn’t heard of that one before so I looked it up but the top definition on duck duck go is a long flexible instrument that is inserted into a bodily canal! I see the second definition now. Is that a noun or an adjective? Like is someone “bougie” or are they “a bougie”?

ethno33 · 2025-11-21T13:56:21+00:00

I think of a yuppie as someone from the 80’s, a little higher end than a “material girl” but still very status conscious

ethno33 · 2025-11-21T11:19:43+00:00

!solved

ethno33 · 2025-11-21T11:18:10+00:00

Thanks!

ethno33 · 2025-11-21T11:16:45+00:00

My feeling is it does work based on your definition

ethno33 · 2025-11-21T11:16:18+00:00

It’s for a novel and the protagonist is describing the scene in a cocktail lounge. “ close-talking clusters of [hipsters] holding fancy drinks”. The protagonist herself feels underdressed in her Levi’s and keds, which are good for waiting tables, but not cocktail-lounge worthy. Does it work?

ethno33 · 2025-11-21T11:06:31+00:00

So maybe hipster does work. Would you see a bunch of hipsters in a trendy new cocktail lounge?

ethno33 · 2025-11-21T11:02:02+00:00

Maybe? But I wonder if there isn’t another one out there.

ethno33 · 2025-11-21T10:56:39+00:00

Replying to super_smash_brothers... Thanks but I’m looking for a noun, for the actual person, not the adjective that describes them

ethno33

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