as in fussing
to use flattery or the doing of favors in order to win approval especially from a superior
the kind of office in which people feel they have to bootlick in order to get ahead
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bootlicking
Verb
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As the migrants boarded, a man hoisted one of the passengers in the air, a fussing 8-month-old baby whose face was flushed red from the heat.—
Daniel Gonzalez,
AZCentral.com,
6 Nov. 2025 -
With five blades sandwiched between two moisturizing bars, this razor speeds up the entire process (no fussing around with shaving cream), nourishing dry skin and making nicks a rare occurrence.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The culprits were Gen Zers fawning over how cute cozy Snoopy was, often on social media.—
Malia Mendez,
Twin Cities,
4 Jan. 2026
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Cut to Yerin Ha’s Sophie Baek, the illegitimate daughter of the Earl of Penwood, fawning over the idea of attending a ball.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
25 Dec. 2025
Verb
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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CWD can take months to years for symptoms to appear, which could include drastic weight loss, stumbling or lack of coordination, drooling and listlessness.—
Caroline Neal,
Louisville Courier Journal,
30 Oct. 2025
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Naturally, the post attracted over 16,000 comments of women drooling over him.—
Essence,
Essence,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Two years ago, she got fired from her $196,551 hack sinecure at the Cannabis Control Commission for not sufficiently kowtowing to the woke mob.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
22 Nov. 2025
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Flattering, placating, and kowtowing only seem to spark escalating demands while defiance risks retaliation.—
Jeff Kingston,
Time,
4 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Bootlicking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bootlicking. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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