as in flunkey
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 to fuss
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
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Recent Examples of toady
Audrey Kurth Cronin, Foreign Affairs, 21 Dec. 2011
This won’t end well, especially in a no-guardrails administration staffed by a how-high team of enablers and toadies.
—Bret Stephens, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2025
Gene Seymour, CNN, 12 Apr. 2023
Fox News has long been accused of peddling Trump’s falsehoods and toadying up to the former president.
—Tori Otten, The New Republic, 27 Feb. 2023
See All Example Sentences for toady
Noun
But at the end of the Cold War, state sponsors and their toadies lost ground.
—Audrey Kurth Cronin, Foreign Affairs, 21 Dec. 2011
This won’t end well, especially in a no-guardrails administration staffed by a how-high team of enablers and toadies.
—Bret Stephens, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2025
Verb
But without Logan’s presence, Tom’s penchant for toadying and betrayal has nowhere to play off. Get our free weekly newsletter Sign up for CNN Opinion’s newsletter.
—Gene Seymour, CNN, 12 Apr. 2023
Fox News has long been accused of peddling Trump’s falsehoods and toadying up to the former president.
—Tori Otten, The New Republic, 27 Feb. 2023
See All Example Sentences for toady
Recent Examples of Synonyms for toady
Verb
-
As a storyteller, Tyagi isn’t too fussed about making his plot persuasive — the ease with which Nair and his co-counsel Dilreet Gill, played by Ananya Panday, manage to uncover evidence defies logic.—
Anupama Chopra,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Apr. 2025
-
Throughout the footage, Leah, from Fort Worth, Texas, can be seen fussing Lunch Box and fawning over her sweet foster pup.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 May 2025
Noun
-
Conservative media, once a proud home to voices like Charles Krauthammer, Jonah Goldberg, and Bill Kristol, now platforms ignorant Trump sycophants who have no use for conservative principles — or principles of any kind.—
S.E. Cupp,
New York Daily News,
22 May 2025
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Hitler surrounded himself with sycophants, had zero tolerance for dissent and demanded unwavering loyalty.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
8 June 2025
Verb
-
That was part of a broader DeSantis attack against the House for kowtowing to liberal trial lawyers.—
Steve Bousquet,
Sun Sentinel,
14 June 2025
-
On one side is a Senate GOP almost entirely representing lower-cost states that is tired of kowtowing to the House; on the other side is a handful of House members whose electoral wins gave Republicans the majority, and the ability to even write a party-line tax bill.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
13 June 2025
Noun
-
Instead, the president and his frenzied lickspittles pumped up the volume.—
Pat Beall,
Sun Sentinel,
13 June 2025
-
Republican lickspittles like Lindsey Graham and Jim Banks praised Trump and trashed Zelenskyy while Russian leaders rejoiced.—
Maureen Dowd,
The Mercury News,
4 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Celebrities on the publicity circuit who are accustomed to the usual techniques and tricks of interviewers—softball questions, fawning compliments—find themselves in a different and disconcerting dynamic.—
Rebecca Mead,
The New Yorker,
24 Feb. 2025
-
Not only was President Joe Biden in serious decline, Karine Jean-Pierre — celebrated in numerous fawning media profiles — was a rotten White House press secretary.—
Rich Lowry,
National Review,
6 June 2025
Noun
-
Her niftiest fight sequence looks like abstract art: a stark black-and-white aerial pan of her shadow battling minions down a hallway.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2025
-
Negan banished him and seized control of the Dama’s minions.—
Charlie Mason,
TVLine,
8 June 2025
Verb
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Leaning over him, Mary drools into Stack’s mouth, her appetite soon his own.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
25 June 2025
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The American Veterinary Medical Association recommends learning the signs of overheating in dogs such as excessive panting, restlessness, excessive drooling, unsteadiness, or abnormal gum and tongue color.—
Kelsey Monstrola,
USA Today,
24 June 2025
Noun
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Before her family arrives, Bree tries to shoot Grady, but once Grady’s henchman captures Diller, she’s forced to make a choice: drop the gun or watch her son die.—
Keith Langston,
People.com,
21 June 2025
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In a moment of sly genius, Duke gained entry by concealing himself as one of Lyle’s ghostly henchmen using a rubber band and a piece of white tissue as his disguise.—
Hazlitt,
Hazlitt,
18 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Toady.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/toady. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.
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