as in fussing
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in grovelling
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
as in fawning
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for toadying
Verb
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But there were – among the fawning compliments and the conviction an elusive peace was near – bits of good news for Ukraine.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
18 Oct. 2025 -
But on the scoreboard and perhaps in the eyes of football fans and perhaps even the still-fawning North Carolina administration?—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The company had also strengthened ChatGPT’s mental health guardrails at various points after Adam's death in April, especially after GPT-4o faced scrutiny over its excessive sycophancy.—
Angela Yang,
NBC news,
17 Sep. 2025
-
As noted above, the emphasis was on the states of evil, sycophancy, and hallucination.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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With five blades sandwiched between two moisturizing bars, this razor speeds up the entire process (no fussing around with shaving cream), nourishing dry skin and making nicks a rare occurrence.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
-
This was the mid 1980s and tandem skydiving hadn’t been popularized yet, so his father, Roger, adjusted accordingly by stuffing carpet padding into the leg pads to stop him from fussing.—
Angelina Liu,
People.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Western leaders have sought to paper over these inconvenient truths, including at their June G-7 and NATO summits, with obsequious efforts to flatter, humor, and cajole Trump.—
Stewart Patrick,
Foreign Affairs,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Von der Leyen did not appear obsequious in her meeting with Trump.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
29 July 2025
Noun
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Rodriguez was arrested and taken to the Johnson County Jail, according to the post, and faces charges of arson of a place of worship, burglary of a building, theft of property and collision involving damage.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
22 Oct. 2025
-
California removed rezoning requirements to allow houses of worship and nonprofits to build affordable housing unrestricted.—
Desiree Mathurin,
Charlotte Observer,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Flattering, placating, and kowtowing only seem to spark escalating demands while defiance risks retaliation.—
Jeff Kingston,
Time,
4 Oct. 2025
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Pushback by viewers in Sinclair and Nexstar’s ABC markets, and the perception that the companies are kowtowing to the FCC chairman’s anti-liberal ideology, could be a factor to lead the companies to relent.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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People had called that earlier model irritatingly sycophantic, and the Raines would later suggest in their lawsuit that this quality had contributed to their son’s attachment to it.—
Vauhini Vara,
The Atlantic,
16 Oct. 2025
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By August, Ars reported on cases where ChatGPT's sycophantic behavior had validated users' false beliefs to the point of causing mental health crises, and news of the aforementioned suicide lawsuit hit not long after.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
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But it’s layered with a thick and sugary frosting of adoration.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
17 Oct. 2025
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Grande has been vocal in her adoration of Heap since the beginning of the Victorious alum’s career.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
17 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Toadying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/toadying. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
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