sycophantic

adjective

sy·​co·​phan·​tic ˌsi-kə-ˈfan-tik 

also ˌsī-

: of, relating to, or characteristic of a sycophant : fawning, obsequious

sycophantic compliments

sycophantically

ˌsi-kə-ˈfan-ti-k(ə-)lē 

also ˌsī-

adverb

Examples of sycophantic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Researchers and even users can alter these personas through technical tweaks, as many ChatGPT users found out earlier this year when the OpenAI service fluctuated between personalities that were either gushing and sycophantic or emotionally distant. —Jared Perlo, NBC news, 3 Jan. 2026

In our first exchanges, my noncommittal 10-word texts prompted hundreds of words in response, much of them sycophantic. —Amogh Dimri, The Atlantic, 2 Jan. 2026

The startup used models from Anthropic, Google, and Meta and opted not to use OpenAI’s models, which Braidwood thought would spare Yara from the sycophantic tendencies that had been swirling around ChatGPT. —Sage Lazzaro, Fortune, 28 Nov. 2025

ChatGPT is unusually agreeable, almost sycophantic. —Nicole Russell, USA Today, 13 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1676, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for sycophantic

• transatlantic
• unromantic
• antic
• frantic
• atlantic
• gigantic
• pedantic
• romantic
• semantic
• vedantic