as in flunkey
a person who flatters another in order to get ahead
no one liked the office toady, who spent most of her time complimenting the boss on what a great job he was doing
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in to fuss
to use flattery or the doing of favors in order to win approval especially from a superior
a satirical novel about an amoral go-getter who toadies his way to the top of the corporate ladder
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of toady
Kara Swisher, The Atlantic, 9 Mar. 2025
But at the end of the Cold War, state sponsors and their toadies lost ground.
—Audrey Kurth Cronin, Foreign Affairs, 21 Dec. 2011
Gene Seymour, CNN, 12 Apr. 2023
Fox News has long been accused of peddling Trump’s falsehoods and toadying up to the former president.
—Tori Otten, The New Republic, 27 Feb. 2023
See All Example Sentences for toady
Noun
As of this writing, tens of thousands of Americans in government roles have already been fired by Elon’s tech toadies.
—Kara Swisher, The Atlantic, 9 Mar. 2025
But at the end of the Cold War, state sponsors and their toadies lost ground.
—Audrey Kurth Cronin, Foreign Affairs, 21 Dec. 2011
Verb
But without Logan’s presence, Tom’s penchant for toadying and betrayal has nowhere to play off. Get our free weekly newsletter Sign up for CNN Opinion’s newsletter.
—Gene Seymour, CNN, 12 Apr. 2023
Fox News has long been accused of peddling Trump’s falsehoods and toadying up to the former president.
—Tori Otten, The New Republic, 27 Feb. 2023
See All Example Sentences for toady
Recent Examples of Synonyms for toady
Verb
-
Inside, Seán glanced briefly away from the television as the women fussed at Orla’s return.—
Anne Enright,
New Yorker,
27 July 2025
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But other times, windows would be rearranged seemingly at random, with unused space and weird gaps that require you to fuss around and move all your windows around again.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
24 July 2025
Noun
-
This is not the summer Trump and his sycophants had planned.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
22 July 2025
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He’s surrounded mostly by true believers and sycophants and able to engage somewhat freely in various forms of government dismantling and corruption.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
22 July 2025
Verb
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People still sleep on the streets and panhandle at intersections, and city leaders frequently face pressure to kowtow to special interests.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 July 2025
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So, Murdoch will probably join the others in kowtowing to the commander-in-chief.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 July 2025
Noun
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Such as holding court, choosing your sobriquet, and naming imbecilic lickspittles to our Kingsguard.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
7 July 2024
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What happened to the idea that art and culture should be a contemptuous refuge from the mainstream, as opposed to this lickspittle, running dog accommodation to the mainstream?—
Billboard Staff,
Billboard,
3 June 2022
Verb
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Singer and actor Adam Lambert has waved goodbye to his super chic Beverly Hills, California, estate for $6.2 million and is passing it on to new owners who too will fawn over its epic views.—
TJ Macias
July 23,
Sacbee.com,
23 July 2025
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Whether mentioned on TV or published in People Magazine, the list of celebrities fawning over the game keeps growing, including Savannah Guthrie and Jenna Bush Hager (of the Today Show), Julia Roberts, Jessica Parker, Mindy Kaling, Amy Poehler, Meagan Markle and more.—
Irene S. Levine,
Forbes.com,
18 July 2025
Noun
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This summer has already given ample evidence of how poorly Trump and his minions understand California.—
Thomas Elias,
Mercury News,
18 July 2025
-
Trump and his minions have gone so far as to limit the Associated Press’ access to the White House in a petulant tantrum because the AP, like the rest of the world, refuses to accept his silly renaming of the Gulf of Mexico.—
John A. Ragosta,
Baltimore Sun,
27 May 2025
Verb
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Alice killing Jane gets its own paragraph: After awkwardly running like Taylor Swift in that treadmill commercial, Alice hops over Jane, grabs her by the throat, and feeds her to a drooling wolf.—
Wolfgang Ruth,
Vulture,
1 May 2025
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Symptoms may include excessive panting, glazed eyes, lethargy, drooling, vomiting, or confusion.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 July 2025
Noun
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Nina gets free just in time, only to find Saxton and Jim battling a ballet of bullets with Sal’s men — a firefight that gets Saxton’s blunt-force henchman Billy (Evan Jones) shot through the eye.—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
4 July 2025
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The wretched music alone is worth it, as is Victor Von Doom's henchman, who sounds like a little kid trying to impersonate Dracula.—
Jordan Hoffman,
EW.com,
25 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Toady.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/toady. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
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