as in apple-polishers
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
Relevance
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brownnosers
Noun
-
Cederquist is one of scores of bad cops included in the book, as is one of his minions in the Stoughton crew, a guy named Calvin Butner.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
15 Oct. 2025 -
Amon, a tank-like Forgeknight; and Vex, a Siren who has the ability to spawn minions and drain life from enemies like a necromancer.—
Gieson Cacho,
Mercury News,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
However, the duo — who will be joined by German drummer Anika Nilles to replace Neil Peart behind his fortress of a kit — are aware of the corrupt industry of people trying to price out fans with inflated ticket costs.—
Devon Ivie,
Vulture,
20 Oct. 2025
-
After checking into the Corazón Cabo Resort & Spa, my eyes immediately focused on a group of fans from Texas donning Hagar gear.—
Mark Gray,
PEOPLE,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
In the past, Newsom denounced judges who ruled against them as toadies of the firearms industry.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Naturally his reliable Republican toadies lined up to support him.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
8 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The benzoquinones in those secretions are pungent to parasites and mosquitoes, and lemurs sometimes also ingest small amounts, suggesting a mix of topical repellent and internal deworming.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Unknown water can be contaminated with parasites, bacteria or other pathogens, which can make dogs sick.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The only character who seems entirely transparent is Frederik, who can’t hide his resentment of his second-class spousal status or his contempt for the sycophants and mediocrities who cling to his wife like barnacles.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
His henchmen quickly followed suit.—
Danny Makki,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Over eight episodes, the brothers find themselves at the mercy of Mancuso — a former family friend — and his vicious henchmen, and they are forced to confront the emotional scars of growing up with an alcoholic father, who had gambled away his own restaurant.—
Max Gao,
HollywoodReporter,
21 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Diwali celebrations begin with devotees deep cleaning their homes and surroundings to prepare for the goddess's arrival, according to the Smithsonian.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
19 Oct. 2025
-
Reading it provided the thrill of becoming a member of a secret club of devotees.—
David Grann,
New Yorker,
19 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Plants act like sponges, Martineau explained.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Back then, MOFs felt like magical sponges, and that sense of wonder never left me.—
Stavroula Alina Kampouri,
The Conversation,
9 Oct. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Brownnosers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brownnosers. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share