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
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Recent Examples of bootlickers
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
Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bootlickers
Noun
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And yet neither Congress nor the sycophants in the White House seem willing to stop him.—
Tom Nichols,
The Atlantic,
19 Jan. 2026
-
Laws mean nothing to Trump or his administration of sycophants.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
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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
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And his toadies that go along with him are -- are subscribing to that.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Dec. 2025
Noun
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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.—
Steven Greenhut,
Oc Register,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Ackie mostly barks orders at her minions to go get him, while Nighy in his home plays the bad guy demanding blood.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
28 Jan. 2026
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His latest lesson was giving the finger to a worker at a Michigan auto plant who yelled at him for his handling of the Jeffrey Epstein controversy, thereby giving license to his minions to do the same in any conflict or disagreement.—
Bob Kustra,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Also newly attached to Write to Kill are Simon Newton and Mike Wood, who will play henchmen.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
4 Dec. 2025
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Kyle’s wife, Tracy, suddenly leaves Kingstown for her sister’s home in Ohio this week, urged by Kyle and Mike to get herself and her baby as far away from Merle’s henchmen as possible.—
Noel Murray,
Vulture,
23 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Many fans have no opinion at all.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Feb. 2026
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Some fans weren't too pleased with Noah's jokes and pleaded with the Grammys to re-evaluate hosting responsibilities.—
Tracy Wright,
FOXNews.com,
2 Feb. 2026
Noun
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For instance, Bolsonaro’s flunkies penetrated the government agency that handled film distribution.—
Baz Bamigboye,
Deadline,
10 Oct. 2025
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The conservative dynamic duo representing the minority on the council against Wu and her progressive flunkies have repeatedly seen their proposals and bills rejected or just ignored by Council President Ruthzee Louijeune, a Wu ally.—
Joe Battenfeld,
Boston Herald,
27 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Sette is considered an expert on human T cells, the immune cells that adapt to recognize and fight infections from viruses, bacteria, parasites and other pathogens.—
Noah Lyons,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Jan. 2026
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Bed nets and drugs save lives, but the family of parasites that cause malaria, called Plasmodium, keeps evolving new ways to survive.—
Kwesi Akonu Adom Mensah Forson,
The Conversation,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bootlickers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bootlickers. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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