as in minions
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 brownnosers
Noun
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Noem’s minions would defy and frustrate federal judges seeking basic information from DHS about the department’s compliance with court orders.—
Clarence Page,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Mar. 2026 -
Instead, his minions, so afraid of earning his wrath, have remained quiet.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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In this week’s reader mailbag, Charlotte Observer reporter Alex Zietlow answers questions on the minds of Panthers fans.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Mar. 2026
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In fact, many who come are fans of Frank Lloyd Wright.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Mar. 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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To start the new Mideast war, Donnie acted on his own with no resistance from his sycophants, who have no backbones.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
3 Mar. 2026
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The Republican sycophants currently in office, out of fear, won’t stand up to him.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
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That is, until Krypto is poisoned by the henchmen of villain Krem of the Yellow Hills, with only three days to save him.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
31 Mar. 2026
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Researchers argued that career anxiety under autocracy creates both pro-regime henchmen and anti-regime plotters.—
Rafil Kroll-Zaidi,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Satoskar says the inaccurate information that influencers are sharing about parasites might encourage people, including those with delusional parasitosis, to make risky health decisions.—
Sarah Boden,
NPR,
16 Mar. 2026
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They have been microchipped, vaccinated and treated for fleas and parasites.—
Maryanne Dell,
Oc Register,
14 Mar. 2026
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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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
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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
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Cite this Entry
“Brownnosers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brownnosers. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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