as in brownnoser
a person who flatters another in order to get ahead
a transparent apple-polisher whose fulsome praise fooled no one
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for apple-polisher
Noun
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Oswald’s realm and his penguins and his minions and his passion.—
Jack Smart,
People.com,
3 June 2025 -
His minions burst into federal office buildings, humiliating staffers.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
31 May 2025
Noun
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What else is going on California freshwater fish found to be teeming with parasites.—
Liam Dillon,
Los Angeles Times,
5 June 2025
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But beyond the nausea-inducing idea of being host to a blood-sucking parasite, the consequences of tick bites can be dire depending on the circumstances.—
Jack Knudson,
Discover Magazine,
4 June 2025
Noun
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Cooper's post comes on the heels of a round of revelations that shocked fans.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
14 June 2025
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With the second season of Prime Video’s Gen V coming soon, Jaz Sinclair has opened up on what fans can expect.—
Stewart Clarke,
Deadline,
14 June 2025
Noun
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Courtesy of Lucasfilm On an isolated farm at the outer reaches of a fascist empire, a mid-level government toady interrogates his victims.—
Jake Kleinman,
Wired News,
23 Apr. 2025
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The anecdote illustrates the contrast in competence and grasp of real world dangers between Reagan’s team and Trump’s toadies — and also between these presidents themselves.—
George Skelton,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Then coat your sink in dish soap and lightly scrub with a sponge to remove all food particles, stuck-on-gunk, and more.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
14 June 2025
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For spills, simply use a damp sponge to spot clean.—
Jacqueline Tempera,
People.com,
12 June 2025
Noun
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Instead, the president and his frenzied lickspittles pumped up the volume.—
Pat Beall,
Sun Sentinel,
13 June 2025
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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
Noun
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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
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As Joe Biden tottered and fell (literally as well as metaphorically), more than a few pundits compared him to Lear, a man who was ruined by age, pride, and the flattery of sycophants.—
Tyler Austin Harper,
The Atlantic,
16 May 2025
Noun
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One vessel was renamed the USS Robert Smalls after a former slave who aided the Union in the Civil War, and the other was restyled the USNS Marie Tharp in honor of a ground-breaking oceanographic cartographer, according to the New York Times.—
Brendan Rascius,
Miami Herald,
4 June 2025
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Canadians are the people who really fought and helped escaped slaves, remember the Underground Railroad went to Canada.—
J.M. Banks,
Kansas City Star,
3 June 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Apple-polisher.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apple-polisher. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
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