blandishment

Meaning

1. (countable) Often in the plural form blandishments: a flattering speech or action designed to influence or persuade.
2. (countable) Something alluring or attractive.
3. (figuratively, uncountable) Allurement, attraction.

Synonyms

flattery

adulation

cajolery

wheedling

blarney

caress

palaver

sweet-talk

fun

gloze

obsequiousness

seducement

seduction

soft soap

subservience

sweet talk

sycophancy

tease

toadyism

ass kissing

caressing

coaxing

endearment

enticement

eyewash

flummery

fondling

Translations

Schmeichelei

flatterie

Lobhudelei

magarrufa

halago

zalamería

κολακεία

δελεασμός

cajolerie

adulation

lusinga

moina

adulazione

carantoines

Beweihräucherung

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈblændɪʃm(ə)nt/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: blaundishen

In summary

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).