buttered up

verb

past tense of butter up
as in congratulated
to praise too much a flunky who shamelessly butters up the boss

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for buttered up
  1. congratulated
  2. applauded
  3. praised
  4. commended
  5. massaged
  6. stroked
  7. puffed
  8. flattered
Verb
  • In a statement sent to Variety in March, Parton congratulated Cyrus on the anniversary special.
    — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 26 Aug. 2026
  • In the comments, fans congratulated Aly on her Broadway debut while others shared their disappointment over not being able to see the duo live.
    — Alicia Urrea, Billboard, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of congratulated
Verb
  • The transformation of the Madison plant was also applauded by the Rockingham County Board of Commissioners and Madison Mayor William Phillips.
    — Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 25 Aug. 2026
  • His return was widely applauded by fans years after he was dropped for reasons that were never publicly explained either to him or to viewers.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of applauded
Verb
  • Conor Fitzpatrick, an attorney with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, which brought the lawsuit, praised the ruling.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The girls’ mother, Stephanie Soares, praised Legaspi and Feir for helping to motivate her daughters, as Naya has adjusted to using her prosthetic foot and Milayna has spent time outside of her wheelchair for the first time in her life.
    — Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of praised
Verb
  • The music department, as well as Courcol’s lively directing and writing, must be commended for scenes of the brass ensemble playing and rehearsing, in a constantly dynamic interaction with dialogue.
    — Caspar Salmon, Variety, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Lyne commended the Chicago actor specifically for a scene partway into the movie, when Lane’s Connie is deep into her affair but Gere’s Edward only has vague suspicions.
    — Rance Collins, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of commended
Verb
  • Top Plays from Bears @ Titans To be clear, the first version will likely be revised and massaged before the Bears arrive at their first meaningful practice of Week 1.
    — Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Words have been parsed over, ideas about location, production design, costume, lighting have all been carefully massaged even up to the day of photography.
    — Rachel Elspeth Gross, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
Definition of massaged
Verb
  • But Kim stroked a walk-off single into left field in the ninth inning off Dodgers reliever Tanner Scott to give the Atlanta Braves a 6-5 victory over the Dodgers on Wednesday night.
    — Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Afterwards, as Cheogyal puts it, the spiritual leader stroked his head with compassion.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of stroked
Verb
  • Bake 6 to 7 minutes, till marshmallows are puffed and beginning to turn golden.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Give the cookies plenty of room on the baking sheet, and pull them while the centers are still puffed and soft.
    — Rick Martinez, Bon Appetit Magazine, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of puffed
Verb
  • Trump was flattered into joining Benjamin Netanyahu in attacking Iran, where former presidents had the intelligence to refuse his appeals.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Curry processed the sentiment, flattered by the validation in their gratitude.
    — Marcus Thompson II, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of flattered
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.

Browse Nearby Words

butter
buttered up
butterfingered
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Buttered up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/buttered%20up. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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