Flat — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective noun adverb verb /ˈflat/

Meaning & Definition of Flat

Flat (adjective)

  1. lying at full length or spread out upon the ground, prostrate
  2. utterly ruined or destroyed
  3. resting with a surface against something

Flat (noun)

  1. a level surface of land —usually used in plural
  2. a stretch of land without obstacles; especially, a track or course for a flat race —usually used with the
  3. a flat part or surface

Flat (adverb)

  1. on or against a flat surface
  2. in the position of someone or something lying spread out on the ground or another surface
  3. exactly

Flat (verb)

  1. flatten
  2. to lower in pitch especially by a half step
  3. to sing or play below the true pitch

Flat (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. being neither more nor less than a certain amount, number, or extent

    "industrial growth has been a flat two percent for each of the last four quarters"

    similar: even, exact, precise, round
    near: approximate, comparative, near, relative, imprecise

  2. causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest

    "a flat portrayal of Benjamin Franklin in the new TV series"

    similar: arid, boring, colorless, drab, dreary, drudging, dry, dull, dusty, heavy, ho-hum, humdrum, jading, jejune, leaden, mind-numbing, monochromatic, monotonous, numbing, old, pedestrian, ponderous, slow, stale, stodgy, stuffy, stupid, tame, tedious, tiresome, tiring, uninteresting, wearisome, weary, wearying
    related: aseptic, barren, blah, dullish, pleasureless, prosaic, prosy, soggy, spiritless, blank, earthbound, gray, inanimate, pallid, pedantic, sterile, suspenseless, undramatic, uneventful, unexciting, unimaginative, uninspiring, unnewsworthy, unrewarding, unsensational, unspectacular, annoying, bothersome, irksome, irritating, longsome, palling, draining, enervating, exhausting, fatiguing, wearing, debilitating, enfeebling, demoralizing, discouraging, disheartening, dispiriting, common, commonplace, ordinary, tepid, unexceptional, unsurprising, vapid, cumbersome, lumbering, plodding, poky
    opposite: absorbing, engaging, engrossing, gripping, interesting, intriguing, involving, riveting
    near: amazing, astonishing, astounding, awesome, eye-opening, fabulous, marvelous, sensational, spectacular, surprising, wonderful, wondrous, animating, breathtaking, electrifying, energizing, enlivening, exciting, exhilarating, galvanizing, hair-raising, inspiring, invigorating, rip-roaring, rousing, stimulating, stirring, thrilling, amusing, diverting, entertaining, moving, poignant, touching, alluring, attracting, attractive, beguiling, bewitching, captivating, charming, enchanting, enthralling, entrancing, fascinating, mesmerizing, spellbinding, suspenseful, arresting, provocative, tantalizing

  3. having a surface without bends, breaks, or irregularities

    "preferred riding her bike on a flat road"

    similar: even, flush, level, plane, smooth
    related: exact, uniform, aligned, regular, true, horizontal, tabular, plumb, straight, vertical
    opposite: bumpy, coarse, lumpy, rough, uneven, unsmoothed
    near: inexact, irregular, unaligned, warped, undulating, undulatory, wavy, pitted, pockmarked, pocky

  4. having been established and usually not subject to change

    "charged a flat rate for priority shipping"

    similar: certain, determinate, final, firm, fixed, frozen, hard, hard-and-fast, inexpugnable, set, settled, stable
    related: nonadjustable, noncancelable, nonnegotiable, unchangeable, constant, steady, unchanging, uniform, unwavering, definite, exact, explicit, specific, given, stated, stipulated, dependable, good, reliable, responsible, safe, solid, sure, tried, tried-and-true, true, trustworthy, trusty
    near: adjustable, changeable, negotiable, indefinite, open-ended, unspecified, capricious, changeful, flickery, fluctuating, fluid, inconstant, mercurial, mutable, temperamental, uncertain, unpredictable, unsettled, unstable, unsteady, variable, volatile

  5. having no exceptions or restrictions

    "a flat denial of the charges"

    similar: absolute, all-out, arrant, blank, blooming (chiefly British), bodacious (Southern & Midland), categorical, clean, complete, consummate, crashing, damn, damned, dead, deadly, definite, downright, dreadful, fair, flat-out, out-and-out, outright, perfect, plumb, profound, pure, rank, regular, sheer, simple, stark, stone, straight-out, thorough, thoroughgoing, total, unadulterated, unalloyed, unconditional, unmitigated, unqualified, utter, very
    related: authentic, classic, genuine, real, veritable, constant, endless, eternal, perpetual, undying, unremitting, extreme, unrestricted, confirmed, habitual, hopeless, inveterate, extraordinary, frightful, horrible, huge, main, superlative, supreme, surpassing, terrible, terrific
    near: doubtful, dubious, equivocal, qualified, questionable, restricted, uncertain

  6. lacking a surface luster or gloss

    "used a flat paint for the condo's interior walls"

    similar: dim, dull, dulled, lusterless, matte
    related: tarnished, unpolished, cloudy, dingy, dirty, drab, lackluster, mousy, muddy, gray, leaden, pale, palish, black, dark, darkened, darkish, dimmed, dusky, gloomy, murky, obscure, obscured, pitch-black, pitch-dark, somber, stygian, tenebrific, tenebrous
    opposite: glossy, lustrous, shiny, sleek
    near: buffed, burnished, glazed, lacquered, polished, rubbed, shellacked, varnished, satin, satiny, silken, silky, slick, slippery, gemmy, gleaming, glimmering, glinting, glistening, glittering, scintillating, shimmering, shining, sparkling, twinkling, beaming, bedazzling, bright, brightened, brilliant, candescent, dazzling, effulgent, fulgent, glowing, incandescent, lambent, lucent, lucid, luminous, radiant, refulgent, resplendent

  7. lacking in qualities that make for spirit and character

    "a dull, flat reading of a story that was really quite exciting"

    similar: banal, insipid, milk-and-water, namby-pamby, watery, wishy-washy
    related: unexciting, uninspiring, unrewarding, bland, boring, drab, dreary, dry, dull, heavy, humdrum, jading, leaden, lifeless, monotonous, pedestrian, ponderous, tedious, tiresome, tiring, uninteresting, vapid, wearisome, weary, wearying, inane, innocuous, inoffensive, mild, soft, subdued, tame, weak, common, commonplace, ordinary, stale, unexceptional
    near: piquant, poignant, pungent, racy, spicy, meaty, substantial, entertaining, exciting, galvanizing, inspiring, invigorating, thrilling

  8. lacking in taste or flavor

    "this pasta dish tastes a little flat"

    similar: dead, flavorless, insipid, savorless, tasteless, unsavory
    related: bland, dilute, thin, watery, weak, plain, unflavored
    opposite: flavorful, flavorsome, sapid, savory, tasteful, tasty
    near: disgusting, distasteful, loathsome, sickening, unappetizing, unpalatable, cloying, mawkish, appetizing, delectable, delicious, palatable, toothsome, keen, piquant, seasoned, spicy, flavored, heavy, rich

Flat (adverb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to a full extent or degree

    "I am flat broke this week"

    similar: all, all of, all over, altogether, clean, completely, dead, enough, entire, entirely, even, exactly, fast, full, fully, heartily, out, perfectly, plumb (chiefly dialect), quite, soundly, thoroughly, through and through, totally, utterly, well, wholly, wide, all the way, at length, down the line, down to the ground, for fair, in whole, to bits, to pieces, to the hilt, to the max
    related: absolutely, categorically, cold, downright, hands down, plain, stone, stone-cold, unqualifiedly, basically, by and large, chiefly, generally, largely, mainly, more or less, mostly, overall, predominantly, predominately, primarily, principally, substantially, abundantly, copiously, generously, greatly
    opposite: half, halfway, incompletely, part, partially, partly
    near: barely, hardly, just, kind of, marginally, minimally, scarcely, slightly, superficially, approximately, roughly, somewhat

Flat (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a room or set of rooms in a private house or a block used as a separate dwelling place

    "had to take on a third roommate in order to afford the bigger flat"

    similar: apartment, diggings (chiefly British), digs, lodgings, suite, tenement
    related: bed-sitter (British), cohousing, condo, condominium, duplex, duplex apartment, efficiency, efficiency apartment, flatlet (British), floor-through, garden apartment, granny flat (chiefly British), maisonette, penthouse, railroad flat, salon, saloon (chiefly British), studio, studio apartment, triplex, walk-up, gallery, wing, apartment building, apartment house, tenement house

Related Entry: Flat-out (adjective)

Flat-out is a different word from Flat. The synonyms below are for flat-out, not for flat.

  1. having no exceptions or restrictions

    "regarded their son-in-law as a flat-out loser and let him know it"

    similar: absolute, all-out, arrant, blank, blooming (chiefly British), bodacious (Southern & Midland), categorical, clean, complete, consummate, crashing, damn, damned, dead, deadly, definite, downright, dreadful, fair, flat, out-and-out, outright, perfect, plumb, profound, pure, rank, regular, sheer, simple, stark, stone, straight-out, thorough, thoroughgoing, total, unadulterated, unalloyed, unconditional, unmitigated, unqualified, utter, very
    related: authentic, classic, genuine, real, veritable, constant, endless, eternal, perpetual, undying, unremitting, extreme, unrestricted, confirmed, habitual, hopeless, inveterate, extraordinary, frightful, horrible, huge, main, superlative, supreme, surpassing, terrible, terrific
    near: doubtful, dubious, equivocal, qualified, questionable, restricted, uncertain

Related Entry: Flat tax (noun)

Flat tax is a different word from Flat. The synonyms below are for flat tax, not for flat.

  1. as in proportional tax

    similar: proportional tax, death tax, estate tax, inheritance tax, supertax, surcharge, surtax, capitation, custom(s), excise, hidden tax, income tax, poll tax, property tax, sales tax, single tax, sin tax, tariff, toll, tribute, value-added tax, withholding tax, direct tax, personal tax, assessment, duty, imposition, impost, levy, tax

Related Entry: Flat taxes (noun)

Flat taxes is a different word from Flat. The synonyms below are for flat taxes, not for flat.

  1. as in proportional taxes

    similar: proportional taxes, death taxes, estate taxes, inheritance taxes, supertaxes, surcharges, surtaxes, capitations, customs, excises, hidden taxes, income taxes, poll taxes, property taxes, sales taxes, single taxes, sin taxes, tariffs, tolls, tributes, value-added taxes, withholding taxes, direct taxes, personal taxes, assessments, duties, impositions, imposts, levies, taxes

Related Entry: Flat-footed (adjective)

Flat-footed is a different word from Flat. The synonyms below are for flat-footed, not for flat.

  1. as in unprepared, unready

    similar: half-baked, half-cocked, underprepared, unprepared, unready, unqualified, untrained
    opposite: fit, go, prepared, ready, set, conditioned, primed, ripe, armed, braced, fortified, steeled

Related Entry: Flat-out (adverb)

Flat-out is a different word from Flat. The synonyms below are for flat-out, not for flat.

  1. as in completely, absolutely

    similar: absolutely, altogether, completely, downright, entirely, fully, positively, purely, radically, thoroughly, totally, utterly, wholly, categorically, cold, hands down, plain, stone, stone-cold, unqualifiedly, assuredly, certainly, indeed, indisputably, indubitably, realistically, undoubtedly, unquestionably, veritably, admittedly, forsooth, frankly, honestly, really, truly, truthfully, verily, basically, by and large, chiefly, generally, largely, mainly, more or less, mostly, overall, predominantly, predominately, primarily, principally, substantially, abundantly, copiously, generously, greatly, all, all of, all over, clean, dead, enough, entire, even, exactly, fast, flat, full, heartily, out, perfectly, plumb (chiefly dialect), quite, soundly, through and through, well, wide
    opposite: barely, hardly, just, kind of, marginally, minimally, scarcely, slightly, superficially, approximately, roughly, somewhat, half, halfway, incompletely, part, partially, partly

Related Entry: Fall flat (phrase)

Fall flat is a different word from Flat. The synonyms below are for fall flat, not for flat.

  1. to be unsuccessful

    "Her performance fell flat despite weeks of rehearsing."

    similar: bomb, collapse, crater, fail, flame out, flop, flunk, fold, founder, miss, strike out, tank, wash out, come a cropper, come to grief, come up empty, die on the vine, fall on one's face, fall short, lay an egg
    related: flounder, struggle, decline, sink, skid, slip, slump, wane, crash, crumble, miscarry, misfire, go under, implode, self-destruct
    opposite: click, come off, deliver, go, go over, pan out, succeed, work out
    near: cook, flourish, prosper, thrive, prevail, triumph, win

  2. to go wrong

    "Their game plan fell flat when their star player suffered an injury."

    similar: miscarry, misfire, come a cropper, come to grief, fall short
    related: miss, break down, bust, conk (out), crash, die, fail, founder, stall, bomb, fizzle, flame out, flop, flunk, fold, wash out, flounder, struggle, decline, skid, slip, slump, tank, wane
    near: prevail, succeed, flourish, prosper, thrive

Related Entry: Granny flat (noun)

Granny flat is a different word from Flat. The synonyms below are for granny flat, not for flat.

  1. as in garden apartment, duplex apartment

    similar: bed-sitter (British), cohousing, condo, condominium, duplex, duplex apartment, efficiency, efficiency apartment, flatlet (British), floor-through, garden apartment, maisonette, penthouse, railroad flat, salon, saloon (chiefly British), studio, studio apartment, triplex, walk-up, apartment, diggings (chiefly British), digs, flat (chiefly British), lodgings, suite, tenement, gallery, wing, apartment building, apartment house, tenement house

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Flat

The most common words with a similar meaning to Flat:

Chiefly British: blooming, diggings
Southern & Midland: bodacious
Chiefly dialect: plumb
even, exact, precise, round, arid, boring, colorless, drab, dreary, drudging, dry, dull, dusty, heavy, ho-hum, humdrum, jading, jejune, leaden, mind-numbing, monochromatic, monotonous, numbing, old, pedestrian, ponderous, slow, stale, stodgy, stuffy, stupid, tame, tedious, tiresome, tiring, uninteresting, wearisome, weary, wearying, flush

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Flat

Words with the opposite meaning of Flat:

absorbing, engaging, engrossing, gripping, interesting, intriguing, involving, riveting, bumpy, coarse, lumpy, rough, uneven, unsmoothed, glossy, lustrous, shiny, sleek, flavorful, flavorsome, sapid, savory, tasteful, tasty, half, halfway, incompletely, part, partially, partly

Related Words for Flat

aseptic, barren, blah, dullish, pleasureless, prosaic, prosy, soggy, spiritless, earthbound, gray, inanimate, pallid, pedantic, sterile, suspenseless, undramatic, uneventful, unexciting, unimaginative, uninspiring, unnewsworthy, unrewarding, unsensational, unspectacular, annoying, bothersome, irksome, irritating, longsome

Near Antonyms of Flat

approximate, comparative, near, relative, imprecise, amazing, astonishing, astounding, awesome, eye-opening, fabulous, marvelous, sensational, spectacular, surprising, wonderful, wondrous, animating, breathtaking, electrifying, energizing, enlivening, exciting, exhilarating, galvanizing, hair-raising, inspiring, invigorating, rip-roaring, rousing

Word Forms of Flat

Inflections: flatter, flattest, flatted, flatting

Derived words: flatly (adverb), flatness (noun), flattish (adjective)

Origin & Etymology of Flat

Middle English, from Old Norse flatr; akin to Old High German flaz flat, and probably to Greek platys broad place

First known use: 14th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Flat

Words & Phrases Containing Flat

flat as a pancake, flat-coated retriever, flat-earther, flat foot, flat-footed

Frequently Asked Questions about Flat

What does "Flat" mean?

"Flat" means lying at full length or spread out upon the ground, prostrate. As an an adjective, a noun, an adverb and a verb, it is defined as: lying at full length or spread out upon the ground, prostrate. It has 10 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Flat"?

Other words for "Flat" include even, exact, precise, round, arid, boring, colorless and drab. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Flat" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Flat"?

There are 351 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Flat". Common alternatives include even, exact, precise, round, arid, boring, colorless, drab, dreary and drudging.

What is the opposite of "Flat"?

Antonyms of "Flat" include absorbing, engaging, engrossing, gripping, interesting, intriguing, involving and riveting. Near antonyms include approximate, comparative, near and relative.

How do you use "Flat" in a sentence?

Examples of "Flat" in a sentence: "industrial growth has been a flat two percent for each of the last four quarters"; "a flat portrayal of Benjamin Franklin in the new TV series"; "preferred riding her bike on a flat road".

Is "Flat" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Flat" can be used as an adjective, a noun, an adverb and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Flat" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A1-level word, "Flat" is typical of Cambridge A1 Movers (Young Learners), TOEIC Listening & Reading 120+.

How do you pronounce "Flat"?

"Flat" is pronounced /ˈflat/.