as in sycophants
a person who flatters another in order to get ahead
no one liked the office toady, who spent most of her time complimenting the boss on what a great job he was doing
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in fusses
to use flattery or the doing of favors in order to win approval especially from a superior
a satirical novel about an amoral go-getter who toadies his way to the top of the corporate ladder
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 toadies
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
And his toadies that go along with him are -- are subscribing to that.
—ABC News, 28 Dec. 2025
In the past, Newsom denounced judges who ruled against them as toadies of the firearms industry.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 5 Sep. 2025
Naturally his reliable Republican toadies lined up to support him.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 8 Aug. 2025
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
And his toadies that go along with him are -- are subscribing to that.
—ABC News, 28 Dec. 2025
In the past, Newsom denounced judges who ruled against them as toadies of the firearms industry.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 5 Sep. 2025
Naturally his reliable Republican toadies lined up to support him.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for toadies
Noun
-
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
Noun
-
The castle is the heart of Eternia and houses a great power — one that must be protected from Skeletor and his minions.—
Keith Langston,
PEOPLE,
6 June 2026
-
The evil force of Skeletor (Jared Leto), a bad bad man with no face, brings his minions in and sets off non-stop destruction.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
2 June 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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
Yasmin, Tender’s briefly installed head of communications, is the first of Whitney’s flunkies to defect.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2026
-
For instance, Bolsonaro’s flunkies penetrated the government agency that handled film distribution.—
Baz Bamigboye,
Deadline,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The parasites prefer humid areas where temperatures are at least 77 F (25 C), and those days are increasing further north.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 June 2026
-
Many arrived underweight, with skin issues, extensive fur loss (suspected to be from being exposed to the weather and outdoor elements) and significant external and internal parasites.—
Moná Thomas,
PEOPLE,
9 June 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
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Toadies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/toadies. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
