obsequious

Synonym Chooser

How is the word obsequious distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of obsequious are servile, slavish, and subservient. While all these words mean "showing or characterized by extreme compliance or abject obedience," obsequious implies fawning or sycophantic compliance and exaggerated deference of manner.

waiters who are obsequious in the presence of celebrities

When is servile a more appropriate choice than obsequious?

The synonyms servile and obsequious are sometimes interchangeable, but servile suggests the mean or fawning behavior of a slave.

a political boss and his entourage of servile hangers-on

When can slavish be used instead of obsequious?

Although the words slavish and obsequious have much in common, slavish suggests abject or debased servility.

the slavish status of migrant farm workers

When could subservient be used to replace obsequious?

The meanings of subservient and obsequious largely overlap; however, subservient implies the cringing manner of one very conscious of a subordinate position.

domestic help was expected to be properly subservient

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 obsequious Listen to this article Mayor Michelle Wu, just a week after what her obsequious supporters hailed as a virtuoso performance before a hostile congressional oversight panel, finds herself suddenly under a harsh federal microscope. Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 15 Mar. 2025 Many, if not most, of these figures earned Trump’s loyalty by using their platforms to be obsequious stewards of MAGA—in effect, creating a quasi–state media. Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 28 Feb. 2025 There were cover stories on him and obsequious profiles. Cory Franklin, Twin Cities, 2 Jan. 2025 What was criminal in the eyes of Putin and occasioned Navalny’s death was his work exposing the tyrant, his obsequious oligarchs and lickspittle party United Russia as crooks, thieves and killers. Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 15 Nov. 2024 See All Example Sentences for obsequious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obsequious
Adjective
  • Each theater navy has its subordinate submarine flotillas, surface ship flotillas, aviation units, and naval bases, the Pentagon stated in its Chinese military power report.
    Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025
  • Therefore, all the other religions found in India thrive because of Hinduism, and are subordinate to it.
    Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The twist offered in this tale is that this dutiful and obedient AI proceeds to gobble up all the available resources on earth to maximally achieve this goal.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
  • The twist offered in this tale is that this dutiful and obedient AI proceeds to gobble up all the available resources on earth to maximally achieve this goal.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The month began with greater emphasis on your health and day-to-day routines, as the first quarter moon in Leo shook up your dutiful sixth house.
    Valerie Mesa, People.com, 9 May 2025
  • Without dutiful attention, these utilitarian items can quickly take your room from fab to drab, especially if not taken care of regularly.
    Nicole Letts, Southern Living, 23 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • So Alex dons a uniform, buses tables and engages in servile labor for the first time in her life.
    Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 23 Mar. 2025
  • Trump’s servile devotion to Putin becomes the new norm overnight as Republicans cower in support of Trump’s new Putin policy.
    Bob Kustra, Chicago Tribune, 7 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Obsequious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obsequious. Accessed 21 May. 2025.

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