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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Yanking the rug out from under thousands of foreigners who often risked life and limb to find a safe haven in America is an unconscionable act of heartless, anti-humanitarian gall on the part of Donald Trump and his minions.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
9 June 2025 -
Her niftiest fight sequence looks like abstract art: a stark black-and-white aerial pan of her shadow battling minions down a hallway.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2025
Noun
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Eating prey can be dangerous for cats, especially mice, which can carry disease, parasites and even poison.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 July 2025
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Food poisoning can be caused by viruses or parasites, but the most common culprits are bacteria such as Salmonella, Escherichia coli, Campylobacter, Listeria and Clostridium—often found on or inside animals.—
Amanda Heidt,
Scientific American,
18 June 2025
Noun
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Brit Page himself has been a popular fan pick to play 007 since his breakout starring turn in the first season of Netflix/Shondaland’s Bridgerton.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
8 July 2025
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Caitlin Clark’s presence on the Indiana Fever led to opposing teams changing venues to a larger seating capacity to host thousands more fans than usual for games.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
8 July 2025
Noun
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Images of toadies buttering up an emperor come to mind.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
11 July 2025
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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
Noun
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Use a microfiber cloth or a non-abrasive sponge to gently scrub the knob.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
10 July 2025
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My hair absorbs leave in like a sponge, and this made my hair feel amazing.—
Katie Decker-Jacoby,
StyleCaster,
8 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
Noun
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Hitler surrounded himself with sycophants, had zero tolerance for dissent and demanded unwavering loyalty.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
8 June 2025
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Nobody advertises for sycophants, but often recruiting and interview processes can favor candidates who are agreeable and whose thinking doesn’t conflict with the status quo.—
Roger Dooley,
Forbes.com,
13 May 2025
Noun
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The country was established with the aim of relocating freed slaves from the United States.—
Michelle Garcia,
NBC news,
10 July 2025
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Schiava, meaning slave in Italian, is thought to be named after its tendency to accumulate to encourage so much fruit and weight that the vine would bend in on itself.—
Paul Caputo,
Forbes.com,
3 July 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 18 Jul. 2025.
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