11 Words For Someone Who Seeks Appreciation For Their Deeds

If you’re looking for a word for someone who constantly needs praise, you’ve come to the right place. We’ll help you understand some of the best words you can use to talk about these kinds of people (and how to use them correctly in your writing).

What Do You Call Someone Who Always Seeks Appreciation For Their Deeds?

There are some great options out there for this purpose. Some of the following are the best ones we recommend:

  • Insecure
  • Self-conscious
  • Fishing for compliments
  • Compliment seeker
  • Narcissist
  • Needy
  • Diffident
  • Crawler
  • Toady
  • Attention junkie
  • Attention seeker
Words For Someone Who Seeks Appreciation For Their Deeds

The preferred version is “insecure.” It works well to show that someone doesn’t have much confidence in their own abilities. They will often try to get praise or appreciation for others because they are not able to provide it for themselves.

Insecure

“Insecure” means that someone lacks confidence in themselves. They will often rely on other people to make them feel better, which is why they look for appreciation for their deeds from the people around them.

They will not be able to get the same appreciation or reassurance from within. It’s always better for insecure people to hear it from others.

The definition of “insecure,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “lacking confidence and doubting their own abilities.”

  • You’re quite insecure, but I don’t understand why.
  • I’m not sure you’re as insecure as you think. You just like to be praised for these things.
  • You’re so insecure! It’s quite exhausting, and I think you should do something about it!

Self-Conscious

“Self-conscious” means that someone lacks confidence in themselves or their abilities. Therefore, they’ll need constant reassurance from other people to let them know they are going good deeds and deserve appreciation.

The definition of “insecure,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “nervous or uncomfortable because you are worried about what people think about you or your actions.”

  • I’m too self-conscious to know when I’ve done something right. That’s why I need the praise.
  • I’m pretty sure she’s too self-conscious about her own abilities. You should let her know that she’s done a good job.
  • You’re being self-conscious right now. You deserve all the appreciation you can get!

Fishing For Compliments

“Fishing for compliments” is a standard phrase in English. It’s common for native speakers to use it when referring to people who are constantly looking for ways that other people can compliment them or appreciate the things they do.

If you think of compliments like fish in a pond, this metaphor makes more sense. People like this will cast their line into the pond to try and fish out a compliment. They don’t care what the compliment is, as long as it makes them feel better about themselves.

  • She keeps fishing for compliments on her profile. I’ve had to mute her because I can’t stand it!
  • You’re fishing for compliments right now. I’m not going to give in because I don’t think you deserve them.
  • Do you have to fish for compliments so obviously? I don’t know why you think you’re worth that much!

Compliment Seeker

“Compliment seeker” is a simple phrase we can use to show that someone is constantly on the hunt for more compliments. They will do deeds that they believe deserve appreciation just to hear other people compliment them.

  • You’re being a compliment seeker right now, and everyone can see through the ruse! That’s why nobody’s here to help you.
  • He’s a compliment seeker through and through. I don’t buy any of his good deeds, not even for a minute!
  • John is a compliment seeker, and I don’t like him. He always pretends like he’s better than the rest of us.

Narcissist

“Narcissist” means that someone has a lot of love for themselves. They usually expect other people to share this love, so they expect people to compliment and praise them at every opportunity.

It’s very obvious when you are dealing with a narcissist, which is why so many people try and avoid them. Nevertheless, you’ll still find that a lot of narcissists get just enough praise from the people they know to keep themselves going.

The definition of “narcissist,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “someone who has too much admiration for himself or herself.”

  • You’re a narcissist, and I’m sick of pretending otherwise. Get out of here because you’re toxic.
  • I think he’s a narcissist. If people aren’t praising him, he thinks they’re wrong. He’s the king of his own world.
  • Sally is a narcissist, and you should be careful around her. It’s really easy to upset her these days.

Needy

“Needy” is a great way to show that someone is always looking for attention and praise. They will often do things that make it very obvious that they need praise, and they will have a hard time if they don’t receive it from the people in their lives.

The definition of “needy,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “wanting too much attention and love.”

  • You’re being needy again! That’s why nobody here wants to talk to you.
  • I wish you weren’t so needy. It makes it so hard to have a genuine conversation with you.
  • Are you sure he’s as needy as you’re claiming? He seems alright to me!

Diffident

“Diffident” means that someone is shy and generally lacks confidence in themselves. Therefore, they will try and seek praise from others to bring their confidence levels up.

It’s often not malicious when diffident people look for praise. Instead, they are only doing it because they simply cannot find a way to praise themselves for their deeds.

The definition of “diffident,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “shy and not confident of your abilities.”

  • Your diffidence is the reason you seek praise so often! You should trust yourself more.
  • I’m not diffident deliberately, but I don’t know how else to act. I can’t seem to do anything right.
  • She’s diffident, so she needs a lot of encouragement. I’m certain she’s capable of loads more, though!

Crawler

“Crawler” means that someone will often act up in front of important people. They will do this to try and make themselves appear praisable. The more they please others, the more likely the other people are to praise them for their deeds.

Most crawlers believe that keeping people happy is the way to get their praise. So, if they do something that they think deserves praise, they believe they’re more likely to find it when they’ve already sweetened the pot by pleasing the person they expect praise from.

The definition of “crawler,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “a person who tries hard to please others in order to get an advantage.”

  • You’re a crawler. If you don’t know what that means, you should probably look it up. Stop begging for praise.
  • Your crawler attitude isn’t going to get us to praise you for any of the things you think you should be praised for.
  • I don’t like crawlers. It’s why I can’t stand being around him.

Toady

“Toady” means that someone deliberately acts in a way to praise other people. They usually do this because they expect the praise to come back to them when they are thought of in higher regard by the people they praise.

The definition of “toady,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “a person who praises and is artificially pleasant to people in authority, usually in order to get some advantage from them.”

  • You’re very toady toward him because you expect him to praise you for the things you’ve done.
  • Stop being so toady. It’s obvious that you’re trying to get praise from them!
  • You’re toady, and I don’t like it. You need to stop acting like that!

Attention Junkie

“Attention junkie” is a great informal choice when it comes to talking about someone who likes to be praised. We can use “junkie” to show that they crave attention from others.

“Junkie” is an informal word used to refer to addicts and how easy it is for them to get addicted to certain things. In this case, the addiction stems from attention, which is why this phrase works well.

  • She’s an attention junkie, so a lot of what she says is useless! I wouldn’t listen to her.
  • He’s just an attention junkie trying to get you to accept him. Ignore him, and he’ll go away soon.
  • You’re an attention junkie, and I don’t care for what you have to say. I’m not praising you for your fake deeds.

Attention Seeker

“Attention seeker” is the last phrase we can use. It means that someone is constantly seeking attention from others. This attention can come in many ways (including praise for deeds they think are worth mentioning).

Many people get frustrated with attention seekers, and it’s usually quite easy to tell when they’re acting out to be praised for something.

  • You’re just an attention seeker. I really don’t see why you’re always so desperate for our attention.
  • I’m not an attention seeker! I just feel like I deserve the praise for the great things I did.
  • You’ll have to stop being an attention seeker if you want more people to take you seriously, I’m afraid.

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