Standard Lemma guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
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noun
Often in the plural form blandishments: a flattering speech or action designed to influence or persuade.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: cajolery, carny, flattery, incense, adulation, ass-kissing, ass-licking, blandishment, gloze, hoomalimali, soft sawder, sooth, sycophancy
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Something alluring or attractive.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Allurement, attraction.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
the act of urging by means of teasing or flattery
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: wheedling
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: enticement, temptation
Narrower terms: ingratiation, insinuation
noun
flattery intended to persuade
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: cajolery, palaver
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: flattery
History
From blandish (“to persuade someone by using flattery, to cajole; to praise someone dishonestly, to flatter or butter up”) + -ment (suffix forming nouns from verbs, having the sense of ‘the action or result of what is denoted by the verbs’). Blandish is derived from Middle English blaundishen (“to flatter; to fawn; to be enticing or persuasive; to be favourable; of the sea: to become calm”) [and other forms] (whence blaundice (“flattery, blandishment; caresses, dalliance; allurement, attractiveness; deceitfulness, deception”) [and other forms]), from Middle English blaundishen, from blandiss-, the extended stem of Middle French blandir + Middle English -ishen (suffix forming verbs). Blandir is derived from Latin blandīrī, the present active infinitive of blandior (“to fawn, flatter; to delude”), from blandus (“fawning, flattering, smooth, suave; persuasive; alluring, enticing, seductive; agreeable, pleasant”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)mel- (“erroneous, false; bad, evil”)) + -iō (suffix forming causative verbs from adjectives).
Across languages
9 source translations are retained for this English entry.
