as in subordinate
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in fussing
to use flattery or the doing of favors in order to win approval especially from a superior
you can try kowtowing to the boss, but he'll see right through you
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kowtowing
Adjective
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The Soviets had to send troops into Budapest in 1956 and Prague in 1968 to keep the governments there subordinate to Moscow.—
Robert O. Keohane,
Foreign Affairs,
2 June 2025 -
This was by no means a subordinate form of identity.—
Matthew Karp,
Harpers Magazine,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
Adjective
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At 11:30, as the simultaneously pompous and obsequious gate agent announces the passengers above gold status, the bit, already tilting toward insanity, leaves any attempt to portray a real airport behind and dives fully into Alice in Wonderland–level surrealism.—
John Roy,
Vulture,
8 May 2025
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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
Adjective
-
Women in the surrealist movement were often relegated to the role of the femme enfant – often young, beautiful women who were expected to be subservient to male artists.—
Mackenzie Farkus,
Christian Science Monitor,
2 May 2025
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The relevance of what is happening in front of them falls subservient to rival scorelines.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
12 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Congressional oversight remains the primary check, but with Republicans controlling both chambers and illustrating a slavish devotion to Trump, impeachment is politically unrealistic regardless of legal merit.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 June 2025
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Nonetheless, the film’s tension is almost immediately diffused by a slavish devotion to the facts.—
Gregory Nussen,
Deadline,
26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Those who tend to favor obedient children are scored as having more authoritarian views.—
Adam Eichen,
The Conversation,
11 June 2025
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They’re done being obedient to an archaic and broken system.—
Devon Ivie,
Vulture,
1 Aug. 2024
Adjective
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By contrast, a beta is supposedly weak and submissive—a follower.—
Elisabeth Sherman,
Parents,
7 Mar. 2025
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Your value lies in being pretty, silent, submissive and unfailingly supportive of men.—
Marie Bostwick,
People.com,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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One of these animals, the tegu, is a popular reptile import thanks to its flashy looks and docile personality.—
Stephanie Edwards,
Discover Magazine,
13 May 2025
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On the other end of the spectrum was the more docile Kelly who often felt conflicted when her morals clashed with the cunning needed to succeed in the game.—
Nick Caruso,
TVLine,
27 May 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Kowtowing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kowtowing. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
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