GROVELING Synonyms: 71 Similar and Opposite Words

groveling 1 of 2

adjective

variants or grovelling

as in fawning

Related Words

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Dissimilar Words

groveling

2 of 2

verb

variants or grovelling

present participle of grovel

as in cringing

to draw back or crouch down in fearful submission the way in which the abused dog would grovel whenever its owner came near

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in crawling

to move slowly with the body close to the ground because of their anatomy, bats can only grovel while moving along the ground

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 groveling

Verb

Abject, groveling apologies to Moss and everybody on the longevity team! — Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026 Cue the fine and the groveling league apology. — Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 10 May 2026 Political courage is needed, especially from the cowardly, groveling Congress. — Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 18 Jan. 2026 That’s the saddest cash-grab gimmick ever, groveling for Dubai dollars. — Sports Columnist, San Francisco Chronicle, 11 Jan. 2026 Rather than wait it out until January 2029, when magical thinking assumes the current transatlantic nightmare will come to an end, the EU needs to stop groveling and build greater sovereignty. — Matthias Matthijs, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for groveling

Adjective

As a friend — her friends all know that Bobbi was singular — ever thoughtful, never obsequious, sometimes obstinate, always honest.

— Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 6 July 2026
To cede all of that ground to the executive, and to do so in such an obsequious way, is shameful.

— KEN BURNS, Rolling Stone, 19 May 2026

Definition of obsequious

Verb

With fervent editing, careful scene geography, and assured direction, the walk before the run can be tense enough to send viewers crawling out of their seats, willing the fugitive onscreen to get a move on already.

— Ben Travers, IndieWire, 15 July 2026
Health inspectors observed one small roach-like insect crawling from the mop sink to under the nearby prep table.

— Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 July 2026

Definition of crawling

Adjective

Unfortunately, Trump takes servile flattery as his due.

— Robert Kagan, The Atlantic, 19 June 2026
Of course, all of this convenient acquiescence will sound familiar in the United States, where our own Congress and Department of Justice have been nothing if not servile to a brazenly corrupt executive.

— Daniel Alarcón, New Yorker, 4 June 2026

Definition of servile

Verb

Amy Adams’ Anna Bowden — who has a complicated history with Max as his former lawyer — peeks through the curtain to spy on him, flinching as Max insists on snapping his own broken finger into place.

— Benjamin VanHoose, PEOPLE, 6 July 2026
Cole agreed, but did do some flinching.

— Tony Baranek, Chicago Tribune, 18 June 2026

Definition of flinching

Verb

They’re concentrated in the Southeast, but lone star ticks have been making their way north and creeping in from the coasts.

— Meg Tirrell, CNN Money, 14 July 2026
Farther north in the Bay Area, residents should expect temperatures in the 90s and some hot spots creeping into the 100s with little relief from the heat overnight, the National Weather Service said.

— Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 13 July 2026

Definition of creeping

Adjective

Like all other generative chatbots, its replies are sycophantic.

— Jill Duffy, PC Magazine, 17 June 2026
In an interview with Mostly Human spotted by MacRumors, Craig Federighi said Apple’s new Siri won’t act all sycophantic like chatbots made by OpenAI, Google, and others.

— Thomas Ricker, The Verge, 12 June 2026

Definition of sycophantic

Browse Nearby Words

grovelers

groveling

grovels

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Style

“Groveling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/groveling. Accessed 20 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of groveling

adjective

verb

Example Sentences

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