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
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Recent Examples of flunky
Lou’s father runs the town, sort of like a low-level mobster in a mob that only employs flunkies and toadies with nothing better to do.
—
Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 13 Mar. 2024
Brennan’s flunkies created a fake online profile to access the network used by the Senate Intelligence Committee, whose Democratic members were at the time investigating the CIA’s torture program.
—Becket Adams, National Review, 9 July 2023
In episode 5, Manfredi viciously killed a mob flunky, Nico, who Tina said had molested her while her father was serving a 25-year prison sentence.
—Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 20 Dec. 2022
And Julia’s cousin, the feckless Lord Cassidy (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), is amusing as a flunky for Julia’s demands.
—Natalia Winkelman, BostonGlobe.com, 29 June 2022
See All Example Sentences for flunky
Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 13 Mar. 2024
Brennan’s flunkies created a fake online profile to access the network used by the Senate Intelligence Committee, whose Democratic members were at the time investigating the CIA’s torture program.
—Becket Adams, National Review, 9 July 2023
In episode 5, Manfredi viciously killed a mob flunky, Nico, who Tina said had molested her while her father was serving a 25-year prison sentence.
—Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 20 Dec. 2022
And Julia’s cousin, the feckless Lord Cassidy (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), is amusing as a flunky for Julia’s demands.
—Natalia Winkelman, BostonGlobe.com, 29 June 2022
See All Example Sentences for flunky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flunky
Noun
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The document emphasizes the pope as a servant of Christ and bishop of Rome, rather than a worldly sovereign.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Apr. 2025
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There is no greater goal than to hear, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant’ from Jesus.—
Maureen Mackey,
FOXNews.com,
21 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
There are still sycophants and acolytes, but no savvy producers to make his head-scratching moves appear to make sense.—
Laura Bassett,
Rolling Stone,
14 Apr. 2025
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This is the grim lesson—one that the ambitious sycophants who attach themselves to power have always been slow to learn—of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall Trilogy, a series of fat, dense novels that filter the reign of Henry VIII through the rise and fall of his Machiavellian advisor, Thomas Cromwell.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
But framing Paul American as a retrospection on labor, with the boys and their family and their lackeys gassing them up over and over, just isn’t that interesting.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
28 Mar. 2025
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The current cast is rounded out by Alison Brie, who will play another Skeletor lackey, Evil-Lyn, Idris Elba, who will play the noble Man-at-Arms, and Riverdale's Camila Mendes as Teela, Man-at-Arms's daughter and He-Man's right-hand woman.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
21 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Republican lickspittles like Lindsey Graham and Jim Banks praised Trump and trashed Zelenskyy while Russian leaders rejoiced.—
Maureen Dowd,
The Mercury News,
4 Mar. 2025
-
Of course, being a junior senator and attaching your name to legislation that has little chance of being enacted—none of those have bills passed—is very different from being Vice-President and chief lickspittle to Trump.—
John Cassidy,
The New Yorker,
22 July 2024
Noun
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What do tech leaders need to consider as the workforce evolves to maximize the gains but retain creativity, innovation and ethical governance? From Assistant To Architect AI is no longer just a coding assistant.—
Amy Gu,
Forbes.com,
30 Apr. 2025
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The standalone app comes as Meta looks to boost the AI assistant’s usage, apart from being available within the company’s family of platforms - WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and Messenger.—
Reuters,
CNN Money,
29 Apr. 2025
Noun
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But the joke’s on us — Republican senators, who are the only players with any real power to stop them, have simply decided not to, all so that President Camacho can play at government with his favorite suck-ups.—
S.E. Cupp,
New York Daily News,
4 Feb. 2025
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Sara Fischer, Dave Lawler Dec 23, 2024 - Politics & Policy Media's suck-up moment Fearing political retribution and strained by new business challenges, media companies that once covered President-elect Trump with skepticism — and in many cases, disdain — are reconsidering their approach.—
Sara Fischer,
Axios,
14 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The anecdote illustrates the contrast in competence and grasp of real world dangers between Reagan’s team and Trump’s toadies — and also between these presidents themselves.—
George Skelton,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2025
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His assessment is based not on the slack-jawed idolatry of elite-media toadies, but on sources nobody else thought to ring up and poke.—
Harpers Magazine,
Harpers Magazine,
26 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Nacua is seen slapping the fan in the face and walking away.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2025
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Crocs Savannah Bananas Classic Clogs Savannah Bananas fans will love these Crocs that feature the team’s mascot and an eye-catching pattern in the team colors.—
Rylee Johnston,
Travel + Leisure,
27 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flunky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flunky. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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