variants
also flunkey
or flunkie
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
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Recent Examples of flunky
Yasmin, Tender’s briefly installed head of communications, is the first of Whitney’s flunkies to defect.
—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2026
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
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
See All Example Sentences for flunky
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2026
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
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
See All Example Sentences for flunky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flunky
Noun
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Hemings was brought to Paris from 1787 to 1789 to work as a servant and maid for Jefferson's household.
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Suddenly, the servant saw that the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around them – representing spiritual forces of divine protection.
Noun
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In an undersized team that already shares a worldview, the silicon sycophant doesn't catch the blind spot.
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Ditto his despicable aides and Cabinet members, his unprincipled sycophants and suck-ups.
Noun
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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.
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That means, of course, she’s now been phased out of her role as a factory lackey in dystopian near-future Brazil due to her age.
Noun
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Now, Lilith must team up with Cinderella to fight biker trolls, outrun evil henchmen, and escape the Screaming Woods.
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Launched in early 1982, the original MOTU line-up saw He-Man and Skeletor joined by heroes Teela (at this point, the only female character), Man-at-Arms and Stratos; the morally ambiguous Zodac; and a couple of Skeletor's henchmen, Beast Man and Mer-Man.
Noun
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Rarely has a president been surrounded by such an array of toadies and lickspittles, operating beyond their competence in an atmosphere of organizational chaos.
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Firmly in control of the nation’s massive federal apparatus, MAGA and its Republican lickspittles in Congress have thrived on chaos.
Noun
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Ditto his despicable aides and Cabinet members, his unprincipled sycophants and suck-ups.
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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.
Noun
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Zoey Deutch wears minion yellow to the Los Angeles premiere of Minions & Monsters on June 28.
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And minions have taken over Wendy’s frosty machines with a new banana flavor.
Noun
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The result of this dynamic tension of bootlickers, according to Bernhard’s narrator, is the perpetual elevation and official anointment of mediocrity.
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If all goes to hell and America devolves into a rank dictatorship, beware the bootlicker.
Cite this Entry
“Flunky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flunky. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.
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