1
a
: of or characteristic of someone held in forced servitude
especially
: basely or abjectly servile
b
archaic
: despicable, low
I have done with slavish fear of disaster.—
Charlotte Brontë
Charlotte Brontë… in a sense it is infinitely reasonable …. But there is such a thing as a mean infinity, a base and slavish eternity.—G. K. Chesterton
G. K. Chesterton2
archaic
: oppressive, tyrannical
No minion of despotism ever ventured to advance more slavish doctrines …—George McDuffie
George McDuffie3
disapproving
: copying obsequiously or without originality : imitative
slavishly
adverb
slavishness
noun
Synonyms
Examples of slavish in a Sentence
a politician and his slavish followers
He has been criticized for his slavish devotion to the rules.
Recent Examples on the Web
Instead, their work references history with consummate sophistication, evoking the architectural styles of times gone by—though never in a slavish fashion.
—ELLE Decor, 7 June 2023
That Miller manages to make such a funny, fully dimensional impression as Barry Allen, better known as the Flash, is no mean feat given the movie’s slavish devotion to nostalgic fan service.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 June 2023
Second, many believe this slavish devotion to history to be deeply flawed.
—Robert J. Spitzer, Time, 6 June 2023
This series respects Asimov's sweeping visionary ideas without lapsing into slavish reverence and over-pontification.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 11 May 2023
Affleck plays Phil’s contradictions — the man’s simultaneous slavish devotion to the bottom line and obsession with Buddhism — as one of the film’s running jokes.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Mar. 2023
For the first game, the developers at Ubisoft were clearly handling the Mario brand with the utmost care and the result was almost too slavish at times, creating a series of environments that felt relatively safe in their homage to the expectations of the Mario world.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2022
The gesture is tentative, even slavish.
—Fanny Howe, Harper’s Magazine , 27 Apr. 2022
The exception is their boss, Marino’s desperately entrepreneurial Ron Donald, whose slavish deference to his customers backfires as predictably as his efforts to rein in his employees.
—Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 23 Feb. 2023
See More
ELLE Decor, 7 June 2023
That Miller manages to make such a funny, fully dimensional impression as Barry Allen, better known as the Flash, is no mean feat given the movie’s slavish devotion to nostalgic fan service.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 June 2023
Second, many believe this slavish devotion to history to be deeply flawed.
—Robert J. Spitzer, Time, 6 June 2023
This series respects Asimov's sweeping visionary ideas without lapsing into slavish reverence and over-pontification.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 11 May 2023
Affleck plays Phil’s contradictions — the man’s simultaneous slavish devotion to the bottom line and obsession with Buddhism — as one of the film’s running jokes.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Mar. 2023
For the first game, the developers at Ubisoft were clearly handling the Mario brand with the utmost care and the result was almost too slavish at times, creating a series of environments that felt relatively safe in their homage to the expectations of the Mario world.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2022
The gesture is tentative, even slavish.
—Fanny Howe, Harper’s Magazine , 27 Apr. 2022
The exception is their boss, Marino’s desperately entrepreneurial Ron Donald, whose slavish deference to his customers backfires as predictably as his efforts to rein in his employees.
—Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 23 Feb. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'slavish.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1565, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Dictionary Entries Near slavish
Cite this Entry
“Slavish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slavish. Accessed 1 Oct. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
slavish
adjective
slav·ish
ˈslā-vish 
1
: of or characteristic of a slave
2
: lacking in independence or originality
slavish imitators
slavishly
adverb
slavishness
noun
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