sycophancy
noun
sy·co·phan·cy
ˈsi-kə-fən(t)-sē 
also ˈsī-,
-ˌfan(t)-
: obsequious flattery
also
: the character or behavior of a sycophant
Examples of sycophancy in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But while sycophancy is a symptom of user-model interaction, communication bias runs deeper.
—
Adrian Kuenzler, The Conversation, 19 Dec. 2025
Advertisement The increasingly impactful capabilities and misalignment of these models have also had concerning social repercussions, notably due to models’ sycophancy, which can lead to users forming strong emotional attachments.
—Yoshua Bengio, Time, 11 Dec. 2025
Some of the changes were designed to minimize sycophancy, based on concerns that validating whatever vulnerable people want the chatbot to say can harm their mental health.
—Dave Collins, Fortune, 11 Dec. 2025
Second is sycophancy, where AI chatbots tend to reinforce users’ existing biases rather than challenge them, creating echo chambers that amplify certainty in one’s beliefs.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sycophancy
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Adrian Kuenzler, The Conversation, 19 Dec. 2025
Advertisement The increasingly impactful capabilities and misalignment of these models have also had concerning social repercussions, notably due to models’ sycophancy, which can lead to users forming strong emotional attachments.
—Yoshua Bengio, Time, 11 Dec. 2025
Some of the changes were designed to minimize sycophancy, based on concerns that validating whatever vulnerable people want the chatbot to say can harm their mental health.
—Dave Collins, Fortune, 11 Dec. 2025
Second is sycophancy, where AI chatbots tend to reinforce users’ existing biases rather than challenge them, creating echo chambers that amplify certainty in one’s beliefs.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sycophancy
Cite this Entry
“Sycophancy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sycophancy. Accessed 27 Dec. 2025.
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