Word of the day, Buttering Our word of the day from The Arbiter is buttering Meaning of buttering The literal meaning is to spread butter on something (like bread). But figuratively, it means to flatter someone excessively, usually to gain favour or some advantage. Synonyms of buttering - Sweet-talking - Complimenting excessively - Cajoling READ ALSO: Word of the day, Ostensibly Pronunciation BUH-tuhr-ing Example Sometimes, you know someone so well that you struggle to describe them publicly without sounding like you're buttering your words. Share with us a sentence with the word buttering, let's see how well you understand it.