as in fussing
to use flattery or the doing of favors in order to win approval especially from a superior
you can try kowtowing to the boss, but he'll see right through you
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in subordinate
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kowtowing
Adjective
-
The San Diego readiness center is a subordinate command of the NIFR, which is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas.—
Gary Robbins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Aug. 2025 -
Rella explained to the Post that there could be a claim if a person in a subordinate position thought they were being unfairly targeted.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
18 July 2025
Adjective
-
Bahrain is ruled by Sunnis and has a mostly Shiite population permanently restless over its servile condition.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
13 June 2025
-
His servile defense secretary has threatened to deploy the military in other cities.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
13 June 2025
Adjective
-
The Texas State Legislature was even more obsequious, approving a $15 million incentive package in 2013.—
Guthrie Scrimgeour,
Rolling Stone,
17 June 2025
-
Softening the strongman The film starts with the loyal and somewhat obsequious journalist Pavel Zarubin interviewing Putin at the end of his long working day in the Kremlin, at 1:30 a.m.—
Peter Rutland,
The Conversation,
9 May 2025
Adjective
-
Instead, Trump made sure that incentives for these renewable technologies were wound down in the ultra-MAGA budget bill that the subservient Congress recently sent to him and is hell-bent on clearing the path for oil and gas and coal to dominate.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
31 July 2025
-
Remember Hurricane Andrew? Ira Gross, Boca Raton What absolute power does A subservient Florida Legislature let DeSantis spend taxpayer money on his political whims, while awarding huge no-bid contracts to his political friends.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
18 July 2025
Adjective
-
The film’s slavish dedication to its source material — the challenging of which would open its own can of worms — demands ignoring all potential complexity in favor of didactic conclusions.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
19 June 2025
-
The Red Sox organization’s slavish devotion to analytics has a downside, Lynn said.—
Bill Speros,
Boston Herald,
15 June 2025
Adjective
-
The Guthrie family cowers in obedient fear of its brooding patriarch (Peter Mullan).—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
5 Aug. 2025
-
Hana must suppress her considerate and obedient nature or her destiny will be as dark as the solar eclipse.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
23 July 2025
Adjective
-
Even the European Union, which bent over backward to offer concessions — pledging to somehow mobilize billions for American weapons, investments and gas purchases, despite having a highly questionable capacity for doing so — wasn’t submissive enough.—
Rachel Marsden,
Hartford Courant,
6 Aug. 2025
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But while the Internet is torn over whether Carpenter’s submissive position on the Man’s Best Friend cover is funny or degrading, Whoopi Goldberg was more concerned with something else.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
12 June 2025
Adjective
-
Arizona tarantulas are not aggressive and are generally considered docile and shy.—
Tiffany Acosta,
AZCentral.com,
4 Aug. 2025
-
Contrary to popular belief, tarantulas, which usually stay hidden in their burrows, are generally docile and are not dangerous.—
USA Today,
USA Today,
2 Aug. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Kowtowing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kowtowing. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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