fawning 1 of 3

adjective

Definition of fawningnext
as in obsequious

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fawning

2 of 3

noun

as in sycophancy

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Dissimilar Words

fawning

3 of 3

verb

present participle of fawn
as in fussing
to use flattery or the doing of favors in order to win approval especially from a superior a student who could not wait to fawn over the new teacher

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 fawning
Noun
The fawning didn’t get him very far. — Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 15 May 2026 According to Gaiani, drinking or using drugs before social situations is a major sign that your teen may be using alcohol to cope with fawning and to feel more comfortable or confident. — Sarah Scott, Parents, 25 Aug. 2025
Verb
Fuentes enjoyed a brief flare of mainstream publicity last year, culminating in a fawning interview with former Republican kingmaker and broadcaster Tucker Carlson. — Will Carless, USA Today, 10 July 2026 Evelyn then gets to meet Juliette, who is visibly uncomfortable with this fangirl fawning all over her. — Noel Murray, Vulture, 10 July 2026 In recent weeks, Silicon Valley has been fawning over an AI model released by a lab in China. — Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 7 July 2026 But the food justified every rave review, hour-long wait for a table, and fawning Instagram image. — Alaina Chou, Bon Appetit Magazine, 23 June 2026 Pelley’s fawning interview with then-president Biden tells a different story. — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 11 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 Along for the ride is his fawning, idiotic buddy Stevie (Steve Little). — Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 8 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fawning
  1. obsequious
  2. sycophancy
  3. fussing
  4. servile
  5. adoration
  6. drooling
  7. slavish
  8. worship
Adjective
  • As a friend — her friends all know that Bobbi was singular — ever thoughtful, never obsequious, sometimes obstinate, always honest.
    — Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 6 July 2026
  • To cede all of that ground to the executive, and to do so in such an obsequious way, is shameful.
    — KEN BURNS, Rolling Stone, 19 May 2026
Definition of obsequious
Noun
  • The conversations on stage ranged from how to tackle a growing AI divide between the global north and the global south to technical solutions for mitigating AI risks like models engaging in deception and sycophancy.
    — Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 9 July 2026
  • One of the main culprits is the models’ propensity for sycophancy.
    — Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 18 June 2026
Definition of sycophancy
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
  • Ever the dedicated mother, Stacy runs to her adult daughter’s aid, fussing at her for not using a driver for her errands.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 13 Mar. 2026
Definition of fussing
Adjective
  • Unfortunately, Trump takes servile flattery as his due.
    — Robert Kagan, The Atlantic, 19 June 2026
  • Of course, all of this convenient acquiescence will sound familiar in the United States, where our own Congress and Department of Justice have been nothing if not servile to a brazenly corrupt executive.
    — Daniel Alarcón, New Yorker, 4 June 2026
Definition of servile
Noun
  • Part of that adoration comes from a high level of public awareness about wildlife and conservation in Tasmania, home to many endemic species found nowhere else in the world.
    — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 11 July 2026
  • Marylanders showed their adoration by naming Montgomery County for him.
    — Sarah M.S. Pearsall, The Conversation, 2 July 2026
Definition of adoration
Verb
  • The clearest early warning is heavy, frantic panting when a dog has not been exercising, along with drooling, red or dark gums, weakness or vomiting.
    — Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 9 July 2026
  • Isaacs said the symptoms of heat stress or heat stroke include excessive panting, drooling, vomiting, seizures or collapse.
    — Renee Anderson, CBS News, 1 July 2026
Definition of drooling
Adjective
  • Because slavish inferiority did not befit his spirit.
    — Ann Manov, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026
  • While many of the building’s original features—including the soaring stucco ceilings decorated with a sun motif - have been preserved, the look and feel are more 21st-century magpie than slavish historical reverence.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Apr. 2026
Definition of slavish
Noun
  • Historically, the Catholic Church had denied religious funerals inside its houses of worship as well as traditional burials for those who died in this way.
    — Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
  • Nearby are the Druidical worship sites of Avebury and Stonehenge; there is a Celtic burial ground hidden in one of Ashcombe's deep, romantic coombes.
    — Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 5 July 2026
Definition of worship

Browse Nearby Words

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fawning
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Cite this Entry

“Fawning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fawning. Accessed 17 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of fawning for Spanish Speakers

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