SYCOPHANCY Synonyms: 39 Similar and Opposite Words

sycophancy

noun

Definition of sycophancy

as in fawning

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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 sycophancy The conversations on stage ranged from how to tackle a growing AI divide between the global north and the global south to technical solutions for mitigating AI risks like models engaging in deception and sycophancy. — Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 9 July 2026 One of the main culprits is the models’ propensity for sycophancy. — Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 18 June 2026 Layering advertising incentives on top of sycophancy produces a system primed to flatter users. — William J. Brady, Chicago Tribune, 7 June 2026 The suit also criticizes ChatGPT’s propensity to agree with users, arguing that the service’s sycophancy can lead users to develop dangerous psychological attachment to the platform and cause users to pay money to unlock more generous usage quotas. — Jared Perlo, NBC news, 1 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for sycophancy

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sycophancy

Noun

Experts say that fawning is a stress response that some teens use to appease the people around them.

— Sherri Gordon, Parents, 5 July 2026
The fawning didn’t get him very far.

— Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 15 May 2026

Definition of fawning

Noun

The secret, top Verve brass say, is embracing their adoration for horror (and other genres too; the agency has a similar foothold in the animation space).

— Matt Donnelly, Variety, 12 Nov. 2026
Clay/Ali remains one of the most indelible personalities of the 20th century, a man whose every public utterance and movement have become the subject of adoration and imitation.

— Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of adoration

Noun

Three places of worship were built to stand beside one another, yet the wider regional conflict has disrupted the setting in which they were intended to bring people together.

— Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 14 Nov. 2026
Whether or not anything political hangs on the outcome, mass worship is irrational at heart, as pop’s wiser practitioners know.

— Alex Ross, New Yorker, 12 Nov. 2026

Definition of worship

Noun

Though often misremembered as a boy’s adventure book, Gulliver’s Travels is both summation and rejoinder to the Enlightenment and how innumerable sins can result when the idolatry of reason leads to humans being treated as objects.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2026
The market for racial idolatry in sports media has collapsed.

— Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of idolatry

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sybaritism

sycophancy

sycophant

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“Sycophancy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sycophancy. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of sycophancy

noun

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