fawn

Definition of fawnnext

Synonym Chooser

How is the word fawn distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of fawn are cower, cringe, toady, and truckle. While all these words mean "to behave abjectly before a superior," fawn implies seeking favor by servile flattery or exaggerated attention.

waiters fawning over a celebrity

When is it sensible to use cower instead of fawn?

The meanings of cower and fawn largely overlap; however, cower suggests a display of abject fear in the company of threatening or domineering people.

cowering before a bully

When might cringe be a better fit than fawn?

While the synonyms cringe and fawn are close in meaning, cringe suggests a bowing or shrinking in fear or servility.

a cringing sycophant

When would toady be a good substitute for fawn?

The synonyms toady and fawn are sometimes interchangeable, but toady suggests the attempt to ingratiate oneself by an abjectly menial or subservient attitude.

toadying to his boss

When is truckle a more appropriate choice than fawn?

Although the words truckle and fawn have much in common, truckle implies the subordination of oneself and one's desires or judgment to those of a superior.

truckling to a powerful lobbyist

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of fawn Along for the ride is his fawning, idiotic buddy Stevie (Steve Little). Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 8 June 2026 But the exhibition and the scholarship, though occasionally a bit fawning, show why the value of Lewis’s art doesn’t hang on these distinctions. Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 8 June 2026 The comments section fawned over the clip. Chiara Kim, PEOPLE, 5 June 2026 The service Like pretty much everything at this hotel, the service is both smart and discreet—not fawning, but preemptive and always on alert. Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for fawn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fawn
Verb
  • Yes, teaching by example is often a better way of handling a challenge than fussing about it.
    Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 17 June 2026
  • No need to fuss-up something that's just as delicious prepared simply.
    Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 5 June 2026
Verb
  • For Valentine's Day 2026, the retailer released a confetti glass icon candle that shoppers drooled over.
    Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 June 2026
  • Fighter Josh Hokit drooled at the weigh-in in front of the Lincoln Memorial.
    Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 17 June 2026
Verb
  • The Empire was a sinister, one-note shadow: faceless Storm Troopers, toadying fascistic generals, a cackling emperor, and of course Darth Vader, an enigmatic demon masked and cloaked in black.
    Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 25 Apr. 2025
  • The only other psychological need that rivals his thirst for toadying is the pursuit of .
    Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Unless Trump’s art of the deal is all about truckling to Putin.
    Maureen Dowd, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2025
  • During the campaign, most of Trump’s fallen rivals blasted him in exceptional terms—before truckling to support him against Hillary Clinton.
    James Fallows, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2017
Verb
  • Part of what fascinated me about their presentation was not only their refusal to kowtow to male desire, which for decades had a stranglehold on rock aesthetics, but a concomitant disavowal of commercialism.
    Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 15 June 2026
  • What distinguishes Camper, at least musically, is his deference to classic R&B signifiers without kowtowing to pastiche.
    Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 27 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Fawn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fawn. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.

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