Thesaurus results for BOOTLICKERS

bootlickers

noun

plural of bootlicker

as in sycophants

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of bootlickers 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 These are just some of the most prominent, powerful bootlickers stumbling right now on their own deceit and desperation. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bootlickers

Noun

For its sycophants, LIV Golf was a new flavor in the vanilla world of professional golf.

— Brody Miller, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Our state is under siege by the skilled sycophants who surround the president and use his base desires as cover for their own destructive agendas.

— Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of sycophants

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

Definition of toadies

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

Definition of lickspittles

Noun

One of the villain’s henchmen was a small, shaggy blue creature with a long drooping snout and a sour expression that lived in a cigar box.

— Niranjana Rajalakshmi, Popular Science, 24 Sep. 2026
Bird himself provides the voices for Xavier’s alien henchmen, Gunsol and Musker.

— Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of henchmen

Noun

Boise State fans are accustomed to their Broncos putting the rock into the hands of running backs and grinding down opposition defenses.

— Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 25 Sep. 2026
Through the first two weeks of the new season, the ratings results suggest that the NFL’s media partners have a firm grasp on what fans want to watch.

— Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of fans

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“Bootlickers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bootlickers. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of bootlickers

noun

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