as in toadies
a person who flatters another in order to get ahead
be careful not to mistake sycophants for true friends
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sycophants
Ditto his despicable aides and Cabinet members, his unprincipled sycophants and suck-ups.
—
Robert B. Reich, Hartford Courant, 9 June 2026
Trump’s worried sycophants probably know that the details of an eventual agreement likely do not matter very much at this point.
—Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 25 May 2026
Who wants to stand with him, other than the sycophants in his Cabinet and party?
—Thomas L. Friedman, Mercury News, 15 May 2026
Republicans in Congress have become spineless sycophants to a president who only sees the beauty of this country in dollar signs.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 26 Apr. 2026
Will any other sycophants in his cult get the message?
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 4 Apr. 2026
Eager sycophants run behind him to carry out his directives and repeat his absurdities.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 Feb. 2026
Laws mean nothing to Trump or his administration of sycophants.
—Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
Robert B. Reich, Hartford Courant, 9 June 2026
Trump’s worried sycophants probably know that the details of an eventual agreement likely do not matter very much at this point.
—Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 25 May 2026
Who wants to stand with him, other than the sycophants in his Cabinet and party?
—Thomas L. Friedman, Mercury News, 15 May 2026
Republicans in Congress have become spineless sycophants to a president who only sees the beauty of this country in dollar signs.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 26 Apr. 2026
Will any other sycophants in his cult get the message?
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 4 Apr. 2026
Eager sycophants run behind him to carry out his directives and repeat his absurdities.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 Feb. 2026
Laws mean nothing to Trump or his administration of sycophants.
—Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sycophants
Noun
-
Rarely has a president been surrounded by such an array of toadies and lickspittles, operating beyond their competence in an atmosphere of organizational chaos.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Like the most treacherous toadies from literature — Iago, Wormtongue, Tywin Lannister — Miller managed to shove aside rivals to latch onto his master’s ear and guide him toward more evil.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The world premiere on Sunday – in the presence of Illumination boss Chris Meledandri and director Pierre Coffin, who is also the origin of the minions’ unintelligible chatter – kicks off one of the biggest Annecy Film Festival’s yet.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
19 June 2026
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The two key attractions include the Bello Bay Cruise river rapids ride where yellow minions face off against purple minions and the Bello Bay Golf Cart Derby teacups ride.—
Brady MacDonald,
Oc Register,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
The result of this dynamic tension of bootlickers, according to Bernhard’s narrator, is the perpetual elevation and official anointment of mediocrity.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 Feb. 2026
-
These are just some of the most prominent, powerful bootlickers stumbling right now on their own deceit and desperation.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Rarely has a president been surrounded by such an array of toadies and lickspittles, operating beyond their competence in an atmosphere of organizational chaos.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Firmly in control of the nation’s massive federal apparatus, MAGA and its Republican lickspittles in Congress have thrived on chaos.—
Steven Greenhut,
Oc Register,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
With half of the stadium decked out in highlighter-orange supporting the Dutch and the other half in royal blue supporting the Japanese, the chants and energy were felt from whistle to whistle from the 69,285 fans in attendance.—
Nick Harris,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 June 2026
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From German dudes discovering Waffle House in the Deep South to Japanese fans experiencing chips and salsa overload in Texas, it's been absolutely beautiful seeing the guests of this great nation being exposed to the best parts of our culture stateside.—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
15 June 2026
Noun
-
Launched in early 1982, the original MOTU line-up saw He-Man and Skeletor joined by heroes Teela (at this point, the only female character), Man-at-Arms and Stratos; the morally ambiguous Zodac; and a couple of Skeletor's henchmen, Beast Man and Mer-Man.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
1 June 2026
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The remoteness of their surroundings is no accident; one of these characters is fleeing an inconvenient past, which returns with a vengeance in the form of a beefy sadist (Benoît Magimel) and his two hostage-taking henchmen.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
27 May 2026
Noun
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Fungi like Cryptococcus and parasites or amoebas can cause fungal meningitis or parasitic meningitis.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
18 June 2026
-
And now the parasites that love our lawns ready to feast on animal blood.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
17 June 2026
Noun
-
Yasmin, Tender’s briefly installed head of communications, is the first of Whitney’s flunkies to defect.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2026
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For instance, Bolsonaro’s flunkies penetrated the government agency that handled film distribution.—
Baz Bamigboye,
Deadline,
10 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sycophants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sycophants. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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