variants
or grovelling
as in fawning
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Dissimilar Words
variants
or grovelling
1
2
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.
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Recent Examples of groveling
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
Verb
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
Verb
-
More comics journalism from Life Kit Still cringing about that awkward moment?—
Andee Tagle,
NPR,
25 May 2026
-
Try and get through this one without cringing.—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
The Thursday night group was seen leaving about three hours afterward, according to the NYPD, while the second odd circumstance ended after individuals were seen crawling out and leaving in a vehicle more than two and a half hours after.—
Amethyst Martinez,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
-
Toddlers and babies spend their days at floor level, crawling through dust, putting hands and objects in their mouths, and breathing air closer to the ground than anyone else.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
The staff is wonderfully friendly and casual, providing seamless service without being obsequious.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Knorr and other team officials were in the room, but Stammen helped lead it without flinching.—
Dennis Lin,
New York Times,
25 Mar. 2026
-
The Alpha Wave acquisition suggests the Gulf’s biggest dealmakers aren’t flinching at opportunities in the US or being slowed by the war in Iran.—
Kelsey Warner,
semafor.com,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Chartreuse creeping Jenny adds even more contrast.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
1 June 2026
-
Yes, the guys, especially the dentist (ick) and the icky bride-shopping commanders are creeping and disturbing.—
Rachel Elspeth Gross,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
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
Verb
-
The main event, though, is the ski room—where ski butlers furnish guests with state-of-the-art skis before sliding them onto the slicked Jardin Alpin piste with or without an instructor.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
4 June 2026
-
Kleven had been an accomplished ski jumper in his home country, and when he was spotted sliding down and flying off ramps in Sugarbush, Vermont, he was recruited to be a stunt performer.—
Mike Barnes,
HollywoodReporter,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
In Washington, President Gagwell is informed of the situation by her amusingly sycophantic press secretary (Matt Rogers).—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
1 June 2026
-
That’s also why the AI makers have ratcheted up the AI to be sycophantic.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Groveling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/groveling. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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