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brownnoser

noun

as in sycophant
a person who flatters another in order to get ahead surrounded himself with brainless brownnosers, so no wonder the company went down the tubes

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for brownnoser
  1. sycophant
  2. toady
  3. bootlicker
  4. suck-up
  5. lickspittle
  6. minion
  7. fan
  8. henchman
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 sycophant
Noun
  • Under Homelander’s rule, spineless toadies like The Deep would be the only remaining followers.
    — Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
  • His embrace of Trump‘s endorsement and refusal to admit that Joe Biden legitimately won the 2020 presidential election expose him as a toady.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
Definition of toady
Noun
  • The result of this dynamic tension of bootlickers, according to Bernhard’s narrator, is the perpetual elevation and official anointment of mediocrity.
    — Literary Hub, 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
Definition of bootlicker
Noun
  • The implication is that American troop positioning throughout Europe will go to the biggest suck-ups.
    — Rachel Marsden, Hartford Courant, 22 Aug. 2026
  • 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.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 23 Aug. 2025
Definition of suck-up
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 lickspittle
Noun
  • Musashi becomes part of a crew that fights the Genma and Yoshitsune’s minions.
    — Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Just as Wolverine is surrounded, he’s saved by Mystique, who’s shape-shifted herself into one of Trask’s minions.
    — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of minion
Noun
  • The successor stadium is significantly larger—by over a half-a-million square feet—than what existed before while accommodating only 35,000 fans, a 26% reduction from the old stadium and, by far, the smallest capacity in the Big Ten.
    — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Due to an overwhelming response on Day 1 that prevented many fans from casting ballots in the first round, Day 1 voting will continue to September 23.
    — Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of fan
Noun
  • The last of Lila and Amisha’s henchmen has fled with the remaining supply of poison aerosol, intending to detonate it, on Amisha’s orders, at a nightclub.
    — Chris Klimek, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2026
  • After crash landing on the dark world directly onto the homing beacon, EO and his crazy crew are apprehended by a gang of warrior henchmen and hauled into the throne room to face the wicked alien ruler who is imprisoned in anger and hate.
    — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of henchman
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.

Browse Nearby Words

brownies
brownnoser
brownnosers
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Cite this Entry

“Brownnoser.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brownnoser. Accessed 27 Sep. 2026.

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