Standard Lemma guide

flat-footed

adj · verb · 11 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

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.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌflætˈfʊtɪd/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈflætˌfʊtəd/
  • General-American: /ˌflætˈfʊtəd/
  • General-American: [-ɾəd]
  • rhymes with (one pronunciation) -ʊtɪd

1

adj

Meaning 1

Of an animal: having feet which are naturally flat; (specifically) of a horse: having hoofs with soles close to the ground.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Bears are flat-footed animals.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Of a person: having the physical condition of flat feet (“a condition where the soles of the feet are in full contact with the ground, either because the arches have collapsed or because they never developed”).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Of a thing (especially (rail transport) a rail): having a flat base; flat-bottomed.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Blunt and unsubtle; lacking finesse; clumsy.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: maladroit

Antonyms: none provided

5

adj

Meaning 5

Unprepared, unready.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, figuratively

Examples

  • They were caught flat-footed when Clancy filed to enter the race.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adj

Meaning 6

Direct, downright, straightforward; also, holding firmly to and maintaining a decision; standing one's ground.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: dated, figuratively, informal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

verb

Meaning 7

simple past and past participle of flat-foot.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: form-of, participle, past

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

adjective satellite

Meaning 8

without reservation

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a flat-footed refusal

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

adjective satellite

Meaning 9

with feet flat on the ground; not tiptoe

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

adjective satellite

Meaning 10

having broad flat feet that usually turn outward

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a slow flat-footed walk

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

11

adjective satellite

Meaning 11

unprepared and unable to react quickly

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the new product caught their competitors flat-footed

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From flat (adjective) + footed (adjective).

From flat-foot + -ed (suffix forming past tense forms of regular verbs).

Across languages

Translations

14 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Dutch: platvoetig — of an animal: having feet which are naturally flat
  • Finnish: lattajalkainen — of an animal: having feet which are naturally flat
  • Ancient Greek: λειόπους (leiópous) — of an animal: having feet which are naturally flat
  • Latin: plancus — of an animal: having feet which are naturally flat
  • Latin: plautus — of an animal: having feet which are naturally flat
  • Russian: плоскосто́пный (ploskostópnyj) — of an animal: having feet which are naturally flat
  • Tagalog: dalpak — of an animal: having feet which are naturally flat
  • Ukrainian: плоскосто́пий (ploskostópyj) — of an animal: having feet which are naturally flat
  • Finnish: lattajalkainen — of a person: having the physical condition of flat feet
  • Latin: plancus — of a person: having the physical condition of flat feet
  • Russian: плоскосто́пный (ploskostópnyj) — of a person: having the physical condition of flat feet
  • Ukrainian: плоскосто́пий (ploskostópyj) — of a person: having the physical condition of flat feet
  • Dutch: vastberaden — holding firmly to and maintaining a decision
  • Finnish: päättäväinen — holding firmly to and maintaining a decision