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.
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Recent Examples of toadies
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
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
-
To start the new Mideast war, Donnie acted on his own with no resistance from his sycophants, who have no backbones.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
3 Mar. 2026
-
The Republican sycophants currently in office, out of fear, won’t stand up to him.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Noem’s minions would defy and frustrate federal judges seeking basic information from DHS about the department’s compliance with court orders.—
Clarence Page,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Instead, his minions, so afraid of earning his wrath, have remained quiet.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
House, a Kiwi familiar from various Taika Waititi projects including the recent TV adaptation of Time Bandits, is a constance source of unexpected danger, while Hughes, George Mason and Matuse all get good moments as her variably bumbling henchmen.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Mar. 2026
-
At his orders, cartel henchmen began setting fire to vehicles, gas stations and government buildings and blockaded major highways.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
24 Feb. 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
-
Crustaceans are nibblers of plants, scavengers of carrion, and parasites of larger animals.—
Andrew Coletti,
Popular Science,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Further, co-author Thomas Wierzba, a professor of infectious diseases at Wake Forest School of Medicine, explains that ETVAX reduced moderate-to-severe diarrhea from viruses, bacteria or other parasites by 21 percent.—
Sahas Mehra,
Scientific American,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Minnesota killing off a late-period penalty was about the only highlight for Wild fans, who went to the second intermission a bit stunned at the deficit facing their team.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Zendaya first sparked wedding rumors last month when she was spotted with a gold band in place of her usual rock, though fans were unsure if the actor had simply turned her ring towards her palm or switched to a simpler ring to keep the real one safe.—
Emily Tannenbaum,
Glamour,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Toadies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/toadies. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
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