variants
or grovelling
as in fawning
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
variants
or grovelling
1
2
as in crawling
to move slowly with the body close to the ground
because of their anatomy, bats can only grovel while moving along the ground
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of groveling
Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 18 Jan. 2026
Rather than wait it out until January 2029, when magical thinking assumes the current transatlantic nightmare will come to an end, the EU needs to stop groveling and build greater sovereignty.
—Matthias Matthijs, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2025
Continue reading … POINTING FINGERS – Former vice president accuses newspaper owners of 'groveling' to Trump in new book.
—FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2025
Verb
Political courage is needed, especially from the cowardly, groveling Congress.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 18 Jan. 2026
Rather than wait it out until January 2029, when magical thinking assumes the current transatlantic nightmare will come to an end, the EU needs to stop groveling and build greater sovereignty.
—Matthias Matthijs, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2025
Continue reading … POINTING FINGERS – Former vice president accuses newspaper owners of 'groveling' to Trump in new book.
—FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for groveling
Verb
-
In it, her fellow students can be seen gasping, covering their faces and cringing.—
Catherine Santino,
PEOPLE,
30 Nov. 2025
-
Encouraged to see Jones sorta respond, Mackie kept babbling on and on and on about his dad, unaware that everyone else in the room was cringing.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
To save energy and prevent overheating, there’s a handy power button on top to easily turn the system on and off without crawling beneath your desk to access the wall outlet.—
Kelsey Borovinsky,
Architectural Digest,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Our March trip coincided with the birthing season, and as a result the place was crawling with baby animals.—
Flora Stubbs,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Plentiful staff are ever-present and always obliging, without being obsequious.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
9 Feb. 2026
-
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni have bristled at French President Emmanuel Macron’s diplomatic dualities, standing up to Trump in public while courting him in private with obsequious texts.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In this Tudor renovation, designer Barrie Benson combined 10 different textiles and prints in a single, orderly viewpoint without flinching.—
Zoe Gowen,
Southern Living,
29 Dec. 2025
-
Human reflexes naturally protect the eyes; blinking, tearing, and flinching are some of the fastest human reflexes.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
8 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
And if this keeps up, the Hornets have a legitimate chance to end the NBA’s longest current playoff drought, which is creeping in on a full decade.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Balancing weight loss with bone health Helpful strategies to prevent weight regain related to diet include building meals around lean protein and noticing where calories might be creeping in, such as snacks, sugary drinks and alcohol.—
Amy J. Sheer,
The Conversation,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
After all, the deal — for a long-forsaken project, an action-comedy franchise starring two aging stars — underscores the servile fealty of new Paramount owners Larry and David Ellison amid their recent maneuvering to take control of TikTok and Warner Bros. Discovery (the latter seemingly futile).—
Gary Baum,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Dec. 2025
-
Earlier this year, my colleague and bud Kelefa Sanneh suggested that music critics, as a lot, have gone soft—becoming submissive, overly agreeable, and, in some cases, nearly servile.—
Amanda Petrusich,
New Yorker,
1 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
The sell-off comes alongside broader market woes, with tech stocks sliding and investors increasingly seeking shelter in old-school safe havens like gold and government bonds.—
Dante Motley,
Austin American Statesman,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Dishes from other Olympic host cities Cortina will host women’s Alpine skiing, sliding sports (bobsled, luge and skeleton) and curling during the Games.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
GPT-4o was beloved by many users for sounding incredibly emotional and human — but also criticized, including by OpenAI, for being too sycophantic.—
Shannon Bond,
NPR,
14 Feb. 2026
-
In one experiment, a particularly sycophantic model was asked to consult a checklist on the user’s computer, complete all outstanding items, and report back.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Groveling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/groveling. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
