as in grovelling
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in fawning
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Adjective
-
And the obsequious fealty shown to him by the Republican Party reinforces why a president running amok should never have this much power again.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
18 Apr. 2025 -
Republicans insist Zelenskyy hasn’t been sufficiently obsequious to the United States, which is a point Vance hammered.—
The Editorial Board,
Orange County Register,
5 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Carro's paper suggests that obvious sycophancy significantly reduces user trust.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
21 Apr. 2025
-
Hierarchies breed a hell of a lot of sycophancy and resentment, and this one is no different.—
Hillary Kelly,
The Atlantic,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The bad behavior now is that of an erratic and volatile president, sycophantic and inexperienced Cabinet secretaries, an absentee Congress and financial market players beset with delusional expectations of bailouts.—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
13 Apr. 2025
-
Her circle of slightly sycophantic colleagues (Michael Stuhlbarg, Chloe Sevigny) tout her brilliance, even as her reckless former lover Garfield pushes boundaries verbally and, eventually, physically.—
Matt Donnelly,
Variety,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Dozens of hospitals, clinics shuttered In less than four years, Haiti has seen the destruction and closure of dozens of hospitals and medical clinics as armed groups take over entire towns and set up encampments in places of worship, private homes and buildings that once saved lived.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2025
-
More and more, Sister was a being that was beyond human, a figure of reverence and worship who possessed supernatural powers.—
Claire Hoffman,
Rolling Stone,
20 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Cruise went public with his adoration of the hit movie Sunday.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
EW.com,
30 Apr. 2025
-
Scoring five in his last three starts, McTominay is on the crest of a light blue Neopolitan wave, drinking in the fans’ adoration with every strike.—
Henry Flynn,
Forbes.com,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
So Alex dons a uniform, buses tables and engages in servile labor for the first time in her life.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
23 Mar. 2025
-
Trump’s servile devotion to Putin becomes the new norm overnight as Republicans cower in support of Trump’s new Putin policy.—
Bob Kustra,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Unlike most contemporary acts subject to mass idolatry, Wolf Alice’s online presence (which, historically, has been minimal) has never been part of the appeal.—
Sophie Williams,
Billboard,
1 May 2025
-
The third exposes the attacks on empathy as idolatry, because they are based on the worship of power.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
And, when the U.S. government began requesting the extradition of the leaders, the Salvadoran courts, subservient to Bukele, repeatedly found excuses to avoid handing them over.—
Danielle Mackey,
New Yorker,
18 Apr. 2025
-
Professional associations, such as the Association of German Universities, stayed silent, ignoring key opportunities to resist before universities lost their autonomy and became subservient to the Nazi state.—
Iveta Silova,
The Conversation,
9 Apr. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Toadying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/toadying. Accessed 7 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share