as in brownnoser
a person who flatters another in order to get ahead
a transparent apple-polisher whose fulsome praise fooled no one
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for apple-polisher
Noun
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Besides being massively ignorant, Musk and his minions are drunk on ideology.—
Steve Chapman,
Chicago Tribune,
7 May 2025 -
Through their minions in the media, in Big Pharma, and woke teachers manipulating their children's minds, these elites hold an iron grip on society.—
Jason D. Greenblatt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The unfortunate truth is that blueberries can carry all sorts of unwanted guests, from dirt and debris, tiny bugs like aphids or fruit flies, pesticide residue, bacteria like E. coli, Salmonella, or Listeria, mold spores, and even parasites.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
18 May 2025
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That setting could help preserve it by protecting it from natural degradation caused by parasites and other organisms.—
Mack DeGeurin,
Popular Science,
15 May 2025
Noun
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Holland now hosts Survivor watch parties and other fan events with season 28 player Brice Izyah Johnston.—
Ale Russian,
People.com,
22 May 2025
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But Yang will clear up another SNL season 50 mystery that fans also spotted during a recent goodnights segment.—
Jillian Sederholm,
EW.com,
22 May 2025
Noun
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Courtesy of Lucasfilm On an isolated farm at the outer reaches of a fascist empire, a mid-level government toady interrogates his victims.—
Jake Kleinman,
Wired News,
23 Apr. 2025
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The anecdote illustrates the contrast in competence and grasp of real world dangers between Reagan’s team and Trump’s toadies — and also between these presidents themselves.—
George Skelton,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The shorter half is divided into two: a perfectly-sized sponge holder on the left and a dish soap section on the right.—
Caley Sturgill,
Southern Living,
11 May 2025
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For reference, a set of nine little sponge cubes shown below – each of which weigh less than a gram – can release 0.5 fl oz (15 ml) into the cup.—
Abhimanyu Ghoshal,
New Atlas,
8 May 2025
Noun
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Republican lickspittles like Lindsey Graham and Jim Banks praised Trump and trashed Zelenskyy while Russian leaders rejoiced.—
Maureen Dowd,
The Mercury News,
4 Mar. 2025
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Of course, being a junior senator and attaching your name to legislation that has little chance of being enacted—none of those have bills passed—is very different from being Vice-President and chief lickspittle to Trump.—
John Cassidy,
The New Yorker,
22 July 2024
Noun
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The administration may be populated with sycophants and true believers, but Justice Department attorneys and Homeland Security officials are not stupid.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
18 May 2025
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There are still sycophants and acolytes, but no savvy producers to make his head-scratching moves appear to make sense.—
Laura Bassett,
Rolling Stone,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Earlier this year, Sheinbaum defended the arrival of Cuban doctors in Mexico, despite critics arguing that they are treated as virtual slaves under bilateral government agreements.—
Andres Oppenheimer,
Miami Herald,
7 May 2025
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Freed former slaves also traveled to horse farms across the region, selling the dish.—
Brian Bennett,
New York Times,
2 May 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Apple-polisher.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apple-polisher. Accessed 25 May. 2025.
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