as in subordinate
disapproving
too eager to help or obey someone important
She's constantly followed by obsequious assistants who will do anything she tells them to.
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of obsequious
Rhodes scholars have long had a reputation for being obsequious careerists, transforming themselves into whatever the elite consensus of the day deems worthy.
—
airmail.news, 1 June 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for obsequious
airmail.news, 1 June 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for obsequious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obsequious
Adjective
-
The 6th Ranger Training Battalion belongs to the Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade which is a subordinate brigade of the Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning.—
Mark Price,
Miami Herald,
21 May 2025
-
The company kept the HBO brand, of course, as subordinate under the Max umbrella.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
15 May 2025
Adjective
-
They’re done being obedient to an archaic and broken system.—
Devon Ivie,
Vulture,
1 Aug. 2024
-
According to the new framing, Russia’s real fight is against the mighty United States, which wants to destroy it, while Ukraine—just like the European Union and NATO—is merely an obedient U.S. satellite.—
Andrei Kolesnikov,
Foreign Affairs,
25 May 2023
Adjective
-
Then, as the moon reaches its peak in Sagittarius on June 11, your dutiful sixth house of health, routines and acts of service are highlighted, pushing you to examine everything from your day-to-day tasks to your work-life balance.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
4 June 2025
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Even the most recent season of The White Lotus, for all its buzz, at times felt like a dutiful extension of what was once the freshest show on television.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
27 May 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
Cite this Entry
“Obsequious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obsequious. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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