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
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
But with Sleep No More, premiering in Berlin’s Special Midnight section this week, the director makes a headlong plunge into horror — infusing the genre with black comedy and a pointed critique of humanity’s slavish worship of capitalism.
—Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 15 Feb. 2026
But letting the neck of her white t-shirt peek through at the top tells us that this outfit was made with both style and comfort in mind, not a slavish devotion to trends.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 27 Jan. 2026
Meanwhile, a stylist has had to cancel his own honeymoon due to delays in the tour, indicating both slavish, life-altering devotion to the British pop star in her coterie, but also her obliviousness to such things going on.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2026
People who climb upward by sacrificing their integrity to slavish subservience almost always fall on their faces eventually.
—Robert B. Reich, Hartford Courant, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for slavish
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Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 15 Feb. 2026
But letting the neck of her white t-shirt peek through at the top tells us that this outfit was made with both style and comfort in mind, not a slavish devotion to trends.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 27 Jan. 2026
Meanwhile, a stylist has had to cancel his own honeymoon due to delays in the tour, indicating both slavish, life-altering devotion to the British pop star in her coterie, but also her obliviousness to such things going on.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2026
People who climb upward by sacrificing their integrity to slavish subservience almost always fall on their faces eventually.
—Robert B. Reich, Hartford Courant, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for slavish
Cite this Entry
“Slavish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slavish. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
slavish
adjective
slav·ish
ˈslā-vish 
1
: of or characteristic of someone held in forced servitude
2
: lacking in independence or originality
slavish imitators
slavishly
adverb
slavishness
noun
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