groveling 1 of 2

adjective

variants or grovelling
as in fawning

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groveling

2 of 2

verb

variants or grovelling
present participle of grovel
1
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
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. 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
  1. obsequious
  2. cringing
  3. crawling
  4. servile
  5. flinching
  6. creeping
  7. sycophantic
  8. sliding
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
  • For tips on how to stop cringing about an awkward moment, read our comic.
    — Malaka Gharib, NPR, 18 July 2026
  • Try and get through this one without cringing.
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 16 May 2026
Definition of cringing
Verb
  • The only person who isn’t happy to see a trash panda crawling into her home is Kesha, who posted a video of herself trying to keep out a raccoon.
    — Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 21 July 2026
  • One thing that Antetokounmpo doesn’t like about South Florida, though, are the iguanas crawling around.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 17 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
  • One instrument, used without flinching, does what rivals need elaborate machinery to pull off.
    — Jamie Beaton, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
  • 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
Definition of flinching
Verb
  • The surge in short interest coincides with a decidedly bearish sentiment creeping into what had been a relentlessly bullish AI trade.
    — Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 23 July 2026
  • Cameron doesn't waste a second of that time, however, establishing characters (see above), introducing Newt, showing off the geography of the Hadley's Hope terraforming base, and building a creeping sense of dread.
    — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 17 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
Verb
  • Hydroplaning is the term for when a vehicle begins sliding uncontrollably on wet roads.
    — STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 July 2026
  • Hydroplaning happens when a vehicle starts sliding uncontrollably on wet roads.
    — CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 15 July 2026
Definition of sliding

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Cite this Entry

“Groveling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/groveling. Accessed 27 Jul. 2026.

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