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
-
Will any other sycophants in his cult get the message?—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
4 Apr. 2026
-
To start the new Mideast war, Donnie acted on his own with no resistance from his sycophants, who have no backbones.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
3 Mar. 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
-
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
-
Nobody wanted to go there — well, except the oil and gas companies aching to root around for black gold, and their most loyal minions in high places.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Israel is also a part of the ceasefire but was subjected to a last-minute barrage of missile attacks today from Iran and its minions.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Or a suck-up move to the Trump administration and its ridiculous claims against the media?—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
4 Dec. 2025
-
Like many digital beings, Reps, as Replika’s avatars are known, are engineered to be agreeable, nonjudgmental, and zealously supportive—i.e., suck-ups.—
Patricia Marx,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The same is true of Sonny and Sal, his high-strung henchman.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
2 Apr. 2026
-
That is, until Krypto is poisoned by the henchmen of villain Krem of the Yellow Hills, with only three days to save him.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Yasmin, Tender’s briefly installed head of communications, is the first of Whitney’s flunkies to defect.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2026
-
For instance, Bolsonaro’s flunkies penetrated the government agency that handled film distribution.—
Baz Bamigboye,
Deadline,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The three-day event draws more than 100,000 fans every year for the festival, which headlines largely country music acts while raising money for marine conservation.—
Joan Murray,
CBS News,
12 Apr. 2026
-
The fan tried to offer some context.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bootlicker.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bootlicker. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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