fawners

noun

plural of fawner
as in sycophants
a person who flatters another in order to get ahead having surrounded himself with fawners who gave him only good news, the governor had no idea of the true state of affairs

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fawners
  1. sycophants
  2. fans
  3. toadies
  4. minions
  5. henchmen
  6. lickspittles
  7. bootlickers
  8. devotees
Noun
  • Having been given countless opportunities to make their names in history as the conscience of the GOP, the six members of Arkansas' congressional delegation chose for the past decade to instead be Trump sycophants.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 31 Oct. 2026
  • For its sycophants, LIV Golf was a new flavor in the vanilla world of professional golf.
    — Brody Miller, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of sycophants
Noun
  • This particular video of the All 22 was viewed by more than 100,000 people, and a number of fans shared their opinion on why the play went so wrong.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Percy Jackson says in one of the clips shown at Lucca, drawing a wild roar from fans assembled at the Teatro Moderno movie theatre.
    — John Bleasdale, Variety, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of fans
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
  • 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
Definition of toadies
Noun
  • Dozens and dozens of Trump minions parroted the same line for days — how dare Obama mock such a beloved American eatery?
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Gavin Newsom’s legislative minions just got a lesson in constitutional supremacy.
    — , FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of minions
Noun
  • Crosby can… um… provide funny reaction shots when henchmen get killed!
    — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 8 Oct. 2026
  • One of the villain’s henchmen was a small, shaggy blue creature with a long drooping snout and a sour expression that lived in a cigar box.
    — Niranjana Rajalakshmi, Popular Science, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of henchmen
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 lickspittles
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
  • 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
Definition of bootlickers
Noun
  • Juxtaposing the solemnity of Victorian mourning with his characteristically surreal theatricality, Browne transformed the runway into a narrative about fashion’s power to bring its devotees back to life.
    — Livia Caligor, Vogue, 27 Oct. 2026
  • But for the chatbot devotees, the inner workings are where the magic dwells.
    — Sam Kestenbaum, Harpers Magazine, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of devotees
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Fawners.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fawners. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026.

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