as in obsequious
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as in sycophancy
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Dissimilar Words
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
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Recent Examples of fawning
Sarah Scott, Parents, 25 Aug. 2025
Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026
With the Republican Congress fawning at his feet, the ideal of democracy that the will of the people governs the nation is being buried under multimedia waves of the autocratic ambition of wealth.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 21 Feb. 2026
The world has gotten a glimpse of the fawning, skeezy shamelessness of his famous hangers-on, but not enough to criminally implicate them.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2026
Carolyn is not given to fawning or ass-kissing — only hours before meeting John, Carolyn advises her friend that the best way to get a guy’s attention is to ignore him.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 13 Feb. 2026
Beyoncé's Botticelli-esque waves are defined with ribbons of golden highlights that had audiences fawning.
—Audrey Noble, InStyle, 10 Feb. 2026
The flattery must forever escalate and grow more fawning, until every follower’s dignity is shorn away.
—David Brooks, Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2026
And Williams and Storrie, the show’s stars, have become one of Hollywood’s favorite duos, with even fellow celebrities fawning over them.
—Natalie Bennett, NBC news, 10 Jan. 2026
The culprits were Gen Zers fawning over how cute cozy Snoopy was, often on social media.
—Malia Mendez, Twin Cities, 4 Jan. 2026
Noun
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
Infantino’s gesture might strike people unacquainted with World Cup history as shamelessly fawning.
—Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026
With the Republican Congress fawning at his feet, the ideal of democracy that the will of the people governs the nation is being buried under multimedia waves of the autocratic ambition of wealth.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 21 Feb. 2026
The world has gotten a glimpse of the fawning, skeezy shamelessness of his famous hangers-on, but not enough to criminally implicate them.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2026
Carolyn is not given to fawning or ass-kissing — only hours before meeting John, Carolyn advises her friend that the best way to get a guy’s attention is to ignore him.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 13 Feb. 2026
Beyoncé's Botticelli-esque waves are defined with ribbons of golden highlights that had audiences fawning.
—Audrey Noble, InStyle, 10 Feb. 2026
The flattery must forever escalate and grow more fawning, until every follower’s dignity is shorn away.
—David Brooks, Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2026
And Williams and Storrie, the show’s stars, have become one of Hollywood’s favorite duos, with even fellow celebrities fawning over them.
—Natalie Bennett, NBC news, 10 Jan. 2026
The culprits were Gen Zers fawning over how cute cozy Snoopy was, often on social media.
—Malia Mendez, Twin Cities, 4 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fawning
Adjective
-
Most are evasive, a few are obsequious, many are defiant, a few are enraged, and all appear to feel their lives slipping away under the seemingly boundless force of judicial inquisition.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Plentiful staff are ever-present and always obliging, without being obsequious.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Ignore the sycophancy, slurs, and slop, and there is very little—but still enough to make one wonder.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
29 Jan. 2026
-
As mentioned at the start of this discussion, the usual assumptions are that either the user tells the AI to do so, or the AI opts to proceed in that direction due to being shaped by AI makers toward exercising sycophancy.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Your son is fussing in his car seat.—
Elizabeth Bruenig,
The Atlantic,
12 Feb. 2026
-
Emma looked around, confused at the adults fussing around him and too young, perhaps, to grasp the severity of the scene.—
Maeva Bambuck,
CNN Money,
1 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
After all, the deal — for a long-forsaken project, an action-comedy franchise starring two aging stars — underscores the servile fealty of new Paramount owners Larry and David Ellison amid their recent maneuvering to take control of TikTok and Warner Bros. Discovery (the latter seemingly futile).—
Gary Baum,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Dec. 2025
-
Earlier this year, my colleague and bud Kelefa Sanneh suggested that music critics, as a lot, have gone soft—becoming submissive, overly agreeable, and, in some cases, nearly servile.—
Amanda Petrusich,
New Yorker,
1 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
And yet the 1934 World Cup in Italy was turned into a spectacle of adoration for the Fascist dictator Mussolini.—
Ian Buruma,
New Yorker,
23 Feb. 2026
-
The outpouring of emotion triggered by Dalglish’s exit opened his daughter’s eyes to the depth of adoration for her father, who had been a pillar of support for the city in the aftermath of Hillsborough.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
But neither is drooling on your neighbor’s shoulder.—
Adam Cheung,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 Feb. 2026
-
This indulgent treat already has fans drooling—and many Costco members have been running to their local bakeries to see if the Cookie Bar Cake is still in stock.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
20 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
But with Sleep No More, premiering in Berlin’s Special Midnight section this week, the director makes a headlong plunge into horror — infusing the genre with black comedy and a pointed critique of humanity’s slavish worship of capitalism.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Feb. 2026
-
But letting the neck of her white t-shirt peek through at the top tells us that this outfit was made with both style and comfort in mind, not a slavish devotion to trends.—
Elizabeth Logan,
Glamour,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
There can never again be a DED, even if Sherrill promises that Roehrenbeck will be subordinate to Garcia.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
26 Jan. 2026
-
The inspector general's investigation found that Reece and Ruff — who were supervisor and subordinate — did not disclose their romantic relationship, which is a violation of a city executive order.—
Nushrat Rahman,
Freep.com,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fawning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fawning. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
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