fawn

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 President Bill Clinton gave a speech about the historic moment, but the media coverage was not uniformly fawning. F.d. Flam, Twin Cities, 6 Aug. 2025 Her image is fawned over but also analyzed, co-opted, and monetized. Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 30 July 2025 Singer and actor Adam Lambert has waved goodbye to his super chic Beverly Hills, California, estate for $6.2 million and is passing it on to new owners who too will fawn over its epic views. Tj MacIas 23, Sacbee.com, 23 July 2025 Ice Spice takes the baton, rapping about how her figure and beauty always keep the guys fawning over her every word. Michael Saponara, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019 See All Example Sentences for fawn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fawn
Verb
  • This was the mid 1980s and tandem skydiving hadn’t been popularized yet, so his father, Roger, adjusted accordingly by stuffing carpet padding into the leg pads to stop him from fussing.
    Angelina Liu, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025
  • Inside, Seán glanced briefly away from the television as the women fussed at Orla’s return.
    Anne Enright, New Yorker, 27 July 2025
Verb
  • Symptoms may begin within minutes, which include heavy drooling—especially in cats—and redness on the skin and in or around the mouth.
    Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Aug. 2025
  • On day eight of his partial paralysis, Nini finally stopped drooling and could now walk gingerly.
    Tao Lin, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
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
  • The secretary accused the AAP of kowtowing to corporate benefactors while ignoring the clear evidence that such vaccines are safe for children and can prevent serious illness.
    New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 21 Aug. 2025
  • Now, Republican candidates trip over themselves in displays of public faith to kowtow to the hardcore base that sees the show as a substitute for substance.
    Philip Elliott, Time, 21 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Fawn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fawn. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.

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