toady

play

noun \ˈtō-dē\

Definition of toady

plural

toadies

: one who flatters in the hope of gaining favors : sycophant

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Examples of toady in a Sentence

She's a real toady to the boss.
no one liked the office toady, who spent most of her time complimenting the boss on what a great job he was doing

Did You Know?

In 17th-century Europe, a toadeater was a showman's assistant whose job was to make the boss look good. The toadeater would eat (or pretend to eat) what were supposed to be poisonous toads. His or her charlatan master would then "save" the toad-afflicted assistant by expelling the poison. It's little wonder that such assistants became symbolic of extreme subservience, and that toadeater became a word for any obsequious underling. By the early 1800s, it had been shortened and altered to toady, our current term for a servile self-seeker.

Origin and Etymology of toady

by shortening & alteration from toadeater

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First Known Use: 1826

See Words from the same year

Synonym Discussion of toady

parasite, sycophant, toady, leech, sponge mean a usually obsequious flatterer or self-seeker. parasite applies to one who clings to a person of wealth, power, or influence or is useless to society. a jet-setter with an entourage of parasites sycophant adds to this a strong suggestion of fawning, flattery, or adulation. a powerful prince surrounded by sycophants toady emphasizes the servility and snobbery of the self-seeker. cultivated leaders of society and became their toady leech stresses persistence in clinging to or bleeding another for one's own advantage. a leech living off his family and friends sponge stresses the parasitic laziness, dependence, and opportunism of the cadger. a shiftless sponge, always looking for a handout

toady

verb

Definition of toady

toadied

;

toadying

intransitive verb
: to behave as a toady : engage in sycophancy

toadyism

play \-ē-ˌi-zəm\ noun

See toady defined for English-language learners

Examples of toady in a Sentence

He's always toadying to the boss.
a satirical novel about an amoral go-getter who toadies his way to the top of the corporate ladder

First Known Use of toady

circa 1859

Synonym Discussion of toady

fawn, toady, truckle, cringe, cower mean to behave abjectly before a superior. fawn implies seeking favor by servile flattery or exaggerated attention. waiters fawning over a celebrity toady suggests the attempt to ingratiate oneself by an abjectly menial or subservient attitude. toadying to his boss truckle implies the subordination of oneself and one's desires or judgment to those of a superior. truckling to a powerful lobbyist cringe suggests a bowing or shrinking in fear or servility. a cringing sycophant cower suggests a display of abject fear in the company of threatening or domineering people. cowering before a bully