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
-
Your president and his minions spread war, chaos, lies and economic instability.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
27 Apr. 2026 -
Scott Quigley, a loyal minion of yet another septuagenarian Democrat hack DA, Marian Ryan of Middlesex County.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The result is a Game 7 that favors the Cavs in the sportsbooks, but Cleveland fans can’t be feeling good after the way that one went down.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
2 May 2026
-
Some clips showed owls and ravens attacking the couple, especially riling up fans.—
Lila Seidman,
Los Angeles Times,
2 May 2026
Noun
-
Rarely has a president been surrounded by such an array of toadies and lickspittles, operating beyond their competence in an atmosphere of organizational chaos.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Like the most treacherous toadies from literature — Iago, Wormtongue, Tywin Lannister — Miller managed to shove aside rivals to latch onto his master’s ear and guide him toward more evil.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
While viral infections are the most common cause in the United States, bacteria, parasites and fungi can also cause the condition.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
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The Florida Museum of Natural History notes that the pythons have also introduced harmful non-native parasites to Florida and reduced medium-sized mammal populations by more than 90%, significantly changing the Everglades ecosystem.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Meanwhile, early versions of mollusks and sponges populated the seafloor as jellyfish floated above.—
Marlowe Starling,
Quanta Magazine,
1 May 2026
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Sprinkle baking soda into your sink, then scrub with a wet sponge or cloth.—
Kate Van Pelt,
The Spruce,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
Rarely has a president been surrounded by such an array of toadies and lickspittles, operating beyond their competence in an atmosphere of organizational chaos.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Firmly in control of the nation’s massive federal apparatus, MAGA and its Republican lickspittles in Congress have thrived on chaos.—
Steven Greenhut,
Oc Register,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Republicans in Congress have become spineless sycophants to a president who only sees the beauty of this country in dollar signs.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Will any other sycophants in his cult get the message?—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The result of this dynamic tension of bootlickers, according to Bernhard’s narrator, is the perpetual elevation and official anointment of mediocrity.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 Feb. 2026
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If all goes to hell and America devolves into a rank dictatorship, beware the bootlicker.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Apple-polisher.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apple-polisher. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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