as in obsequious
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
as in sycophancy
Related Words
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
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
Sarah Scott, Parents, 25 Aug. 2025
Dalila Muata, NBC news, 5 May 2026
The lawyer pulled up more than a dozen emails showing the once-budding actress fawning over the Oscar-winning producer and seeking his counsel like a father figure.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 1 May 2026
To celebrate Lola's 24th birthday, Ripa shared old footage from her daughter's childhood, which included a shot of the parents fawning over their little girl.
—Grace Gavilanes, PEOPLE, 1 May 2026
And if fawning over flora is your thing, a new report by online casino Spinblitz might inspire you to book a getaway.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 14 Apr. 2026
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
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
But they're now considered the it guests at various events, with even fellow celebrities fawning over them.
—Dalila Muata, NBC news, 5 May 2026
The lawyer pulled up more than a dozen emails showing the once-budding actress fawning over the Oscar-winning producer and seeking his counsel like a father figure.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 1 May 2026
To celebrate Lola's 24th birthday, Ripa shared old footage from her daughter's childhood, which included a shot of the parents fawning over their little girl.
—Grace Gavilanes, PEOPLE, 1 May 2026
And if fawning over flora is your thing, a new report by online casino Spinblitz might inspire you to book a getaway.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 14 Apr. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fawning
Adjective
-
The staff is wonderfully friendly and casual, providing seamless service without being obsequious.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
29 Apr. 2026
-
The millennial-Gen Z generational divide, both sides fighting over scraps of a shrinking pie while still in smiling, obsequious service to aging boomers, is an enticing hook made more so by meta casting.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
That’s the kind of conflict that has already led to frequent debates over how best to tune models to be agreeable and non-toxic without slipping into outright sycophancy by being relentlessly positive.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
1 May 2026
-
One idea is to require AI companies to run and then publish sycophancy audits of their models – tests that show how well their products meet honesty benchmarks.—
Cody Turner,
The Conversation,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Your son is fussing in his car seat.—
Elizabeth Bruenig,
The Atlantic,
12 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
That this man’s-man tough guy becomes utterly servile in the presence of a bunch of slack-casual bazillionaires is the cherry on top of the fascist sundae.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Julia was the first weekly TV series that starred a Black woman in a role that wasn't servile.—
Starr Rocque,
PEOPLE,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Yet she’s viewed, like everything else in the movie, with an adoration that is nearly transcendental.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
16 May 2026
-
There’s probably a smart, chilling film to be made about the terrors of smothering and relentless adoration — one imagines what Rod Serling would have done with something like this — but this isn’t really that film.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Chase Reid, meanwhile, just put together a better-than-point-per-game season in the OHL and has the loud tools — the escapability and skating speed in particular — that have NHL scouts positively drooling.—
Thomas Drance,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Predators respond with head shaking, gaping, drooling, and frantic licking.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
Fans love it, a rarity for a live-action anime adaptation, praising its perfect casting and slavish devotion to the original.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
There were four on each of the two ships in the Franklin expedition, with the best candidates being Thomas Armitage, gunroom steward, or William Gibson, subordinate officers’ steward, both of whom served on the HMS Terror.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
8 May 2026
-
The researchers found that Ourry’s head was marked out in the artwork before it was properly painted, while Jersey’s head was not, suggesting that Jersey was not painted during a sitting, possibly because Jersey was regarded as subordinate, the trust said.—
Amarachi Orie,
CNN Money,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fawning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fawning. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
