20 Other Ways To Say 'Butter Someone Up'

To butter someone up means to praise someone or to flatter the person. This is a common thing to do amongst friends and people you're fond of. There's that tendency to want to butter someone up at every given opportunity you have, especially if you want to get something from them or if you need a favor from them. You butter up someone to gain their help and support and you can choose to do this by being friendly with the person. Being good to the person is also another effective way of buttering someone up. Here are effective alternatives to say "butter someone up" that you can use in conversations. 

20 Alternatives To Say "Butter Someone Up"

Here are 20 alternatives to say "butter someone up": 

1. "Sweet talk him"
2. "Just flatter her"
3. "Cajole"
4. "Blandishment"
5. "Massage his ego"
6. "Overpraise them"
7. "Just lobby with his emotion"
8. "He needs brainwashing"
9. "Romance his feelings"
10. "Commendation works best for him"
11. "Swarm him with praises"
12. "All he needs is charm"
13. "You should woo her"
14. "Adulation is his flaw"
15. "Be his sycophant"
16. "Apply polish him a bit"
17. "Belaud his actions" 
18. "Apply honey to his emotions"
19. "Fawn over her"
20. "If you can only smooth-talk him"

"Sweet talk him"

"Sweet talk him" is a very great way to say someone should be flattered. If you are the one taking the action, you can tell someone, "let me go sweet talk him". Those in relationships like using this a lot, especially girlfriends. A girlfriend will often want to sweet talk her boyfriend to make him do whatever she wants him to do. Children often have this phrase "sweet talk" in mind when they want to go ask their parents for a favor. They'll say sweet words that will break the parents' resistance to giving in. 

"Just flatter her"

"Just flatter her" is the best advice you can give to your friend who wants a favor from his girlfriend. You know that all she needs is a calculated applaud of her. This might be a response you're giving to yourself about that person you want to get something from. "I'll just flatter her and she'll budge" and that's exactly what will happen if you play your cards well. 

"Cajole"

The word, "cajole" is one of the best alternatives to saying "butter someone up". All you need to do is cajole the person to make him/her grant you that help. Your friend might be complaining to you about how her parents are not letting her do a particular thing, your advice could be in one word, "cajole". You've solved that problem already.To cajole someone is to say endearing words backed up with actions in a way as to make that person listen to you and grant your request. 

"Blandishment"

"Blandishment" is another way of saying "butter someone up". This might sound like a difficult word but it's just an alternative to saying "flatter". If you want to sound like an elite or you're among a group of people that like using enriched grammar when they speak, you should use this word instead of saying "butter up". 

"Massage his ego"

"Massage his ego" is a perfect alternative to saying "butter someone up". I particularly love this phrase as it embodies exactly what I would want to do if I plan on flattering someone. When you butter someone up, your aim is to make the person go against his wish. At that point, his/her ego is defeated and he/she just can't say no to you. So, the process of getting the person to that point is the massaging stage. That's the buttering up that you're doing and you must be a pro at that. 

"Overpraise them"

"Overpraise" is a strong word that can be used instead of "butter up". When you overpraise someone, you are more like a sycophant who has one goal. You don't overpraise someone for the good of the person, you overpraise a person because you want something out of him/her. You can use the phrase, "overpraise them" if you're giving advice to someone on how to get a particular favor from another person. Say this instead of saying "butter him up". 

"Just lobby with his emotion"

"Just lobby with his emotion" is an effective and funny way of saying "butter someone up". Here, you're not only making a point, you're also adding fun to it. Lobby is a political word often used in the sense of manipulation. So, instead of using the statement, "manipulate him", use "lobby". It's more coded. Now, understand that you are not lobbying with the person's emotions for someone bad, you just want to get something he wouldn't ordinarily give you and you can use all harmless means possible. 

"He needs brainwashing"

"He needs brainwashing" is another way of saying "butter someone up". There are several ways to say "butter someone up" and this is one of the best ways. When someone is brainwashed, it's almost like the person is charmed. And when someone is under a spell, he/she can be told to do anything without objection. You are not literally putting the person under a spell but your words can leave the person spellbound in such a way that he grants your request without question. 

"Romance his feelings"

"Romance his feelings" is another interesting way of saying 'butter someone up'. It does not mean that you're literally romancing the person. Feelings are often affected by words. So, you can decide to say romantic words that will make the person feel better about himself or about that thing you're talking about. This is what most women do when they want to get something from their husbands or boyfriends. Words are powerful and the sooner you use them for someone good, the better. 

"Commendation works best for him"

"Commendation works best for him" is an innocent way of saying "butter someone up". This might be referring to a regular person you're not eey close to. Everyone likes to be commended. And so, if you use commendation to get your employer to work her pay, you have succeeded in buttering her up. On the other hand, an employer can also use commendation to make the boss grant him/her that promotion he/she has been vying for. If you want to butter someone up, try commendation. 

"Swarm him with praises"

The picture the word "swarm" creates is that of overshadowing, overwhelming the person with so much praise. This is a perfect alternative to saying "butter someone up". When you swarm someone with praises, you are giving the person no room for objection. Even if you're not making your request immediately, which is advisable, you will get your request granted when you make it. If you're thinking of what to do to get your child to carry out that chores, swarm him with praise. You'll come home to find a clean kitchen. 

"All he needs is charm"

"All he needs is charm" is a perfect alternative to saying "butter him up". You can quickly whisper this to your friend who is having difficulty receiving stuff from her boyfriend. Men generally cannot resist charm and if you only can provide the perfect charm for them, you'll have all your requests granted. If you're doubting this, find out what intrigues your crush, do it or display it and watch him look your way. That was free advice I just gave you. Just come tell me your testimony. 

"You should woo her"

"You should woo her" is an alternative to "butter someone up". You really should woo her if you want her to say yes to you. You can't expect her to take you seriously if you haven't taken steps to woo her.Now, this is where you need to get it right. Wooing someone does not stop in telling her what you feel about the person. Your actions and the flattery words you use count as wooing. So, even if you are not asking anyone out, try wooing the person just to have your request granted. Best friends do this to themselves a lot. 

"Adulation is his flaw"

"Adulation is his flaw" is a perfect way to give out information about a person instead of saying "butter him up". In this case, you know about the person to be flattered. In a situation where you are advising your husband on pacifying your son, telling him that "adulation is his flaw" will give a clue to what he should do in that situation. Adulation is an outward show of praise to a person. When you adulate, you are loud about it. There are people who like loud love and praise. Give that to them in order to get what you want. 

"Be his sycophant"

"Be his sycophant" is a direct way of saying "butter someone up". You're saying, "get ose to him, be good in his eyes and suck him off of what he has to offer."You should use this phrase if you want the person to actually get close to the person in question. The target is to get the person to like you and do for you your desires. Sycophant is a strong word that suggests that you're only praising someone for your own benefit, and you do not necessarily honor the person. 

"Apply polish him a bit"

"Apply polish him a bit" is a statement you can use instead of saying "butter him up". You're saying this to add style to your words and it will take someone who knows the word to know what you mean. To apple polish someone means to flatter the person. You are doing this in a bit to gain something from the person. It does not mean that you're polishing the person with an apple. It's funny how that sounds. Try using apple polish instead of butter up when you want to sound tush and put your audience off guard. Later on, you can have the pleasure of explaining to them what that means. 

"Belaud his actions" 

"Belaud his actions" is an effective alternative way of saying "butter someone up". This is what most politicians do in order to make their candidate look like the best option. If you're a Christian, praising and worshiping God are more like belauding His actions. You're ringing into the ears of anyone who cares to hear what God has already done for you. Doing that, we are told, makes him do more for us. So, in other words, we "butter God up" to get what we want from Him. 

"Apply honey to his emotions"

"Apply honey to his emotions" is another word to use instead of "butter him up" if you want to sound sweet in your advice. Remember, you're telling someone what to do and you're also contemplating doing the same. Honey is a sweetener and everyone will most likely want to eat anything that has honey in it. Honey is also medicinal. So, applying honey to his emotions is more like making him happy, making his life sweet by what you do or say to him. Because he is happy, he will most likely grant your request. 

"Fawn over her"

"Fawn over her" is a better alternative to saying "butter her up". This is literally what most men do when they are wooing a lady. They do not know how to keep their distance. In a situation where you want to gain a favor from someone, just fawn over the person in such a way that he/she cannot resist you. Fawning over someone does not mean you should be all over the person. Just let your words do the magic and try not to be annoying. 

"If you can only smooth-talk him"

"If you can only smooth-talk him" is a perfect alternative to say "butter someone up". What you're basically doing when you butter someone up is to smooth-talk the person. So, this is just a different and suitable way of saying "butter someone up". Smooth talking is an act, an act of done well can get you anything you want from anyone.There are people who are specially skilled in smooth talking and you can hardly beat them unless you are a smooth talker yourself. 

To end this;

To some, buttering someone up is a skill. To some others, it is what they do for fun. The rest butter up just to get what they want from a person. Whichever category you are, these phrases are alternatives of saying "butter someone up" and you can use them on any occasion to your benefit or just to help a friend out.