flunky

noun

ˈfləŋ-kē How to pronounce flunky (audio)
variants also flunkey or flunkie
Definition of flunkynext
1
as in servant
a person hired to perform household or personal services since I'm just the flunky who files his papers, I've no idea where he is

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sycophant
a person who flatters another in order to get ahead a rock star who saw through the phonies and the flunkies

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 flunky The best sequences allow for some building of suspense, like the fate of Gautama’s flunky while closing the family shop at night, or an episode when Tika is chased by her possessed mother in their house. — Dennis Harvey, Variety, 6 Aug. 2025 Tacoma is Seattle’s industrial flunky, the also-ran, the perennial embarrassment. — Caroline Fraser june 10, Literary Hub, 10 June 2025 For instance, Bolsonaro’s flunkies penetrated the government agency that handled film distribution. — Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2025 The conservative dynamic duo representing the minority on the council against Wu and her progressive flunkies have repeatedly seen their proposals and bills rejected or just ignored by Council President Ruthzee Louijeune, a Wu ally. — Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 27 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for flunky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flunky
  1. servant
  2. sycophant
  3. lackey
  4. henchman
  5. lickspittle
  6. suck-up
  7. minion
  8. bootlicker
Noun
  • The film also features Odysseus’ servant Eumaeus (John Leguizamo) and Jon Bernthal as Menelaus, the Greek king of Sparta.
    — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 6 July 2026
  • Lawyers are, in his formulation, both loyal servants of their clients and public citizens with special responsibility for the quality of justice.
    — Joseph Andrew, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
Definition of servant
Noun
  • In an undersized team that already shares a worldview, the silicon sycophant doesn't catch the blind spot.
    — Matt Poepsel, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026
  • Ditto his despicable aides and Cabinet members, his unprincipled sycophants and suck-ups.
    — Robert B. Reich, Hartford Courant, 9 June 2026
Definition of sycophant
Noun
  • The problem is, Reigns still acts like a heel while Jey Uso, despite winning the Royal Rumble and becoming world champion, is back to being his lackey.
    — Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 10 June 2026
  • After Wally springs her from the Shaw's clutches, the group manages to lure the couple and some of their lackeys into the makeshift particle accelerator trap that former engineer Sam built out of old cathode-ray tube TVs.
    — Megan McCluskey, Time, 21 May 2026
Definition of lackey
Noun
  • And so does Jesse — particularly the latest installment, which sees the iconic henchmen find themselves as accidental stars in 1920s Hollywood.
    — Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 30 June 2026
  • Now, Lilith must team up with Cinderella (Amanda Seyfried) to fight biker trolls, outrun evil henchmen, and escape the Screaming Woods on an epic quest to save the kingdom, but most importantly, their relationship.
    — Rick Ellis, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026
Definition of henchman
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 lickspittle
Noun
  • Ditto his despicable aides and Cabinet members, his unprincipled sycophants and suck-ups.
    — Robert B. Reich, Hartford Courant, 9 June 2026
  • Matthew eventually one-ups the request by losing his boxers as well and going full Winnie the Pooh, which earns him the respect of his fellow suck-ups.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 23 Aug. 2025
Definition of suck-up
Noun
  • Perhaps if this was any team other than the Yankees — where all of Hal Steinbrenner’s minions appear to have lifetime contracts — Aaron Boone’s status as manager would be coming under intense scrutiny about now.
    — Bill Madden, New York Daily News, 4 July 2026
  • The minions have appeared in six films since — three Despicable Me movies and, making the jump from sidekicks to stars, three Minions movies.
    — Taylor Swinton, Washington Post, 3 July 2026
Definition of minion
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
  • If all goes to hell and America devolves into a rank dictatorship, beware the bootlicker.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
Definition of bootlicker

Browse Nearby Words

flunks
flunky
fluorescence
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Cite this Entry

“Flunky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flunky. Accessed 9 Jul. 2026.

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