as in sycophant
a person who flatters another in order to get ahead
she's such a bootlicker that I don't take any of her compliments seriously
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bootlicker
The result of this dynamic tension of bootlickers, according to Bernhard’s narrator, is the perpetual elevation and official anointment of mediocrity.
—
Literary Hub,
19 Feb. 2026
If all goes to hell and America devolves into a rank dictatorship, beware the bootlicker.
—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
Literary Hub,
19 Feb. 2026
If all goes to hell and America devolves into a rank dictatorship, beware the bootlicker.
—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bootlicker
Noun
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In an undersized team that already shares a worldview, the silicon sycophant doesn't catch the blind spot.
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Ditto his despicable aides and Cabinet members, his unprincipled sycophants and suck-ups.
Noun
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Rarely has a president been surrounded by such an array of toadies and lickspittles, operating beyond their competence in an atmosphere of organizational chaos.
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Firmly in control of the nation’s massive federal apparatus, MAGA and its Republican lickspittles in Congress have thrived on chaos.
Noun
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Under Homelander’s rule, spineless toadies like The Deep would be the only remaining followers.
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His embrace of Trump‘s endorsement and refusal to admit that Joe Biden legitimately won the 2020 presidential election expose him as a toady.
Noun
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Zoey Deutch wears minion yellow to the Los Angeles premiere of Minions & Monsters on June 28.
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And minions have taken over Wendy’s frosty machines with a new banana flavor.
Noun
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Ditto his despicable aides and Cabinet members, his unprincipled sycophants and suck-ups.
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Matthew eventually one-ups the request by losing his boxers as well and going full Winnie the Pooh, which earns him the respect of his fellow suck-ups.
Noun
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Now, Lilith must team up with Cinderella to fight biker trolls, outrun evil henchmen, and escape the Screaming Woods.
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Launched in early 1982, the original MOTU line-up saw He-Man and Skeletor joined by heroes Teela (at this point, the only female character), Man-at-Arms and Stratos; the morally ambiguous Zodac; and a couple of Skeletor's henchmen, Beast Man and Mer-Man.
Noun
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Yasmin, Tender’s briefly installed head of communications, is the first of Whitney’s flunkies to defect.
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For instance, Bolsonaro’s flunkies penetrated the government agency that handled film distribution.
Noun
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Courtside fans Swift and Kelce were most recently spotted sitting court-side at game three of the Eastern Conference Finals played between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the New York Knicks in May 2026.
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The first-year pro soccer club dropped a 2-1 home game to One Knoxville, watching the Tennessee side and reigning league champ rally to steal all three points in front of 7,223 fans at Expo Idaho.
Cite this Entry
“Bootlicker.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bootlicker. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.
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