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
Adjective
Roger resigns in disgrace, his numerous groveling apologies go unaccepted and he is sentenced to a lifetime guest spot on The View. — Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 10 Sep. 2026
Verb
Higher still, Kerr led me up a steep groove that demanded such vicious thrashing and groveling that my whole body hurt. — Daniel Duane, New York Times, 14 Oct. 2026 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
  • For instance, Democrats like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have become openly obsequious in sucking up to the DSA.
    — Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 20 Aug. 2026
  • 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
Definition of obsequious
Verb
  • But our response to the unpleasant experience of cringing encourages us to close off those possibilities and to distance ourselves from the object of our cringe.
    — Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Tonally, there’s something quite fascinating about a man looking back on his late teenage years and cringing while still seeing a part of himself.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of cringing
Verb
  • Insects crawling around three-compartment sink and hand wash sink in kitchen.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Pack a blackout sleep mask just in case There’s nothing worse than finally crawling into your hotel bed after a long travel day, only to discover that the curtains don’t fully close and a streetlight is shining directly onto your pillow.
    — Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of crawling
Adjective
  • Both appeared on stage in character as VP Selina Meyer and her servile assistant, Gary Walsh.
    — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Unfortunately, Trump takes servile flattery as his due.
    — Robert Kagan, The Atlantic, 19 June 2026
Definition of servile
Verb
  • Yet Rafael, willing and even eager to die for his antifascist principles, returns Sebastián’s gaze without flinching, and with a sense of rebuke that is complicated by unspoken yet unmistakable flickers of desire.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2026
  • In my experience, automation becomes commercially viable not when failures disappear, but when the system is built to handle them without flinching.
    — Shivansh Inamdar, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of flinching
Verb
  • Eisenkot is viewed by supporters as a capable leader with sterling security credentials who, along with his likely governing partners, could act as a bulwark against creeping illiberalism.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Gusts of more than 60 mph are possible in parts of the Outer Banks with 40 to 50 mph gusts creeping toward the Interstate 95 corridor in North Carolina and southern Virginia.
    — Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of creeping
Adjective
  • Billionaires cajole us left and right to surrender our cognitive function for the sake of convenience; AI slop operas serve up easy dopamine; sycophantic chatbots swaddle us in cocoons of false certainty.
    — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Nowhere is this audience fragmentation clearer than in tech media, which is increasingly dominated by largely sycophantic media outlets owned by the decisionmakers themselves.
    — Max Tani, semafor.com, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of sycophantic
Verb
  • Coinbase — The cryptocurrency exchange's stock rallied 8% Tuesday after sliding 15% in the three trading days through Monday.
    — Ananya Chetia, CNBC, 3 Nov. 2026
  • New England started the second half better, and Peyton Miller set up its go-ahead goal brilliantly, beating Gonzalo Lujan on the dribble to get around the right corner and into the penalty area before sliding a pass toward the penalty spot.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of sliding

Browse Nearby Words

grovelers
groveling
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Cite this Entry

“Groveling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/groveling. Accessed 10 Nov. 2026.

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