approbative vs flattering

approbative

noun
  • A word or grammatical form which denotes a positive affect expressing the appreciation or approval of the speaker. 

adj
  • Sanctioning officially, giving authorization or approval to something. 

  • Expressing approval. 

flattering

noun
  • Instances of flattery. 

  • The action of the verb to flatter. 

adj
  • Attractive or good-looking; that makes one look good. 

  • That which represents too favorably. 

  • Gratifying to one's self-esteem; complimentary. 

How often have the words approbative and flattering occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )