toadying 1 of 3

adjective

as in obsequious

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toadying

2 of 3

noun

as in fawning

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toadying

3 of 3

verb

present participle of toady
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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for toadying
  1. obsequious
  2. fawning
  3. fussing
  4. sycophantic
  5. sycophancy
  6. kowtowing
  7. servile
  8. worship
Adjective
  • For instance, Democrats like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have become openly obsequious in sucking up to the DSA.
    — Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 20 Aug. 2026
  • As a friend — her friends all know that Bobbi was singular — ever thoughtful, never obsequious, sometimes obstinate, always honest.
    — Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 6 July 2026
Definition of obsequious
Noun
  • Experts say that fawning is a stress response that some teens use to appease the people around them.
    — Sherri Gordon, Parents, 5 July 2026
  • The fawning didn’t get him very far.
    — Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 15 May 2026
Definition of fawning
Verb
  • Similar to Egypt after its collapse earlier in the week, Switzerland exited fussing about the officiating.
    — Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 12 July 2026
  • Yes, teaching by example is often a better way of handling a challenge than fussing about it.
    — Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 17 June 2026
Definition of fussing
Adjective
  • His usual complaint is that the network isn’t sycophantic enough.
    — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Politicians in both parties are distancing themselves from an increasingly unpopular building boom faster than a sycophantic chatbot can flatter its user.
    — Editorial Board, Washington Post, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of sycophantic
Noun
  • Various studies have found chatbots' sycophancy drives engagement.
    — Gili Malinsky, CNBC, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Anthropic has conducted studies on its models’ undesirable behaviors, such as disempowerment and sycophancy.
    — Matthew Sun, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of sycophancy
Verb
  • What distinguishes Camper, at least musically, is his deference to classic R&B signifiers without kowtowing to pastiche.
    — Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 27 Apr. 2026
  • After all, the series largely avoids other topical issues of modern campus life, from freedom of speech restrictions to administrators kowtowing to autocracies.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 5 Mar. 2026
Definition of kowtowing
Adjective
  • Both appeared on stage in character as VP Selina Meyer and her servile assistant, Gary Walsh.
    — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Unfortunately, Trump takes servile flattery as his due.
    — Robert Kagan, The Atlantic, 19 June 2026
Definition of servile
Noun
  • Is class the best lens for understanding Hitler’s appeal, or is daddy worship?
    — Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Affordability is a central concern for voters such as Alex Weaver, a maintenance worker at the worship center who helped prepare the building for the visit.
    — Larry Seward, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of worship
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.

Browse Nearby Words

toady
toadying
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Cite this Entry

“Toadying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/toadying. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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