Not showing someone in a good way or making them look bad; unfavorable or unkind.
Prefix 'un-' (not) combined with 'flattering' (from Old French 'flater' meaning to deceive or caress). The sense of showing something in its worst light developed in English by the 1600s.
Interestingly, when a photo is 'unflattering,' it's not necessarily a bad photo—it just means the light, angle, or timing made someone look worse than they usually do. This reveals something deep about how context completely shapes perception.
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