as in flunkey
a person who flatters another in order to get ahead
a partisan news program whose host is more of a lickspittle for the White House than a serious journalist
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 lickspittle
Of course, being a junior senator and attaching your name to legislation that has little chance of being enacted—none of those have bills passed—is very different from being Vice-President and chief lickspittle to Trump.
—
John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 22 July 2024
Such as holding court, choosing your sobriquet, and naming imbecilic lickspittles to our Kingsguard.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 7 July 2024
Of course, the real blame for all this goes to the gutless lickspittles in the U.S. Senate, who, in an impeachment proceeding just weeks after the insurrection, could have restored the nation’s dignity and voted to bar Trump from ever running again.
—Christian Schneider, National Review, 21 Dec. 2023
What happened to the idea that art and culture should be a contemptuous refuge from the mainstream, as opposed to this lickspittle, running dog accommodation to the mainstream?
—Billboard Staff, Billboard, 3 June 2022
What's more, Louis DeJoy, the Trump lickspittle and longtime Republican donor (with a massive financial conflict of interest) now serving as postmaster general, has royally messed up mail service.
—Ryan Cooper, TheWeek, 11 Aug. 2020
And Washington is revealed once again as our modern Versailles, a place of courtiers and lickspittles who’d use the Ministry of Justice to serve their ambitions.
—John Kass, chicagotribune.com, 15 June 2018
Ricardians denounce Shakespeare as a lickspittle hack who favored Henry Tudor —the winner at Bosworth and Elizabeth I’s grandfather—over Richard’s branch of the House of York.
—Andrew Roberts, WSJ, 30 Apr. 2018
Trump likes to have a range of lickspittle around him.
—Jeet Heer, The New Republic, 2 Apr. 2018
John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 22 July 2024
Such as holding court, choosing your sobriquet, and naming imbecilic lickspittles to our Kingsguard.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 7 July 2024
Of course, the real blame for all this goes to the gutless lickspittles in the U.S. Senate, who, in an impeachment proceeding just weeks after the insurrection, could have restored the nation’s dignity and voted to bar Trump from ever running again.
—Christian Schneider, National Review, 21 Dec. 2023
What happened to the idea that art and culture should be a contemptuous refuge from the mainstream, as opposed to this lickspittle, running dog accommodation to the mainstream?
—Billboard Staff, Billboard, 3 June 2022
What's more, Louis DeJoy, the Trump lickspittle and longtime Republican donor (with a massive financial conflict of interest) now serving as postmaster general, has royally messed up mail service.
—Ryan Cooper, TheWeek, 11 Aug. 2020
And Washington is revealed once again as our modern Versailles, a place of courtiers and lickspittles who’d use the Ministry of Justice to serve their ambitions.
—John Kass, chicagotribune.com, 15 June 2018
Ricardians denounce Shakespeare as a lickspittle hack who favored Henry Tudor —the winner at Bosworth and Elizabeth I’s grandfather—over Richard’s branch of the House of York.
—Andrew Roberts, WSJ, 30 Apr. 2018
Trump likes to have a range of lickspittle around him.
—Jeet Heer, The New Republic, 2 Apr. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lickspittle
Noun
-
Those vibes were often dictated by the sycophants in Musk’s orbit.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
3 Feb. 2025
-
Triangle of Sadness parodied the wealthy class and their out-of-touch behaviors; The Menu gorged on monstrous culinary world personalities and the sycophants who feed them; and most recently, Blink Twice confronted the protective bubbles shielding powerful men from accountability.—
Lovia Gyarkye,
The Hollywood Reporter,
28 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
The high toady will be 61 degrees and the low will be 39 degrees.—
Elainie Barraza,
Orlando Sentinel,
12 Jan. 2025
-
Alfred Molina, Ving Rhames, Toby Jones, and Paul Walter Hauser all drop by to add their touches to an underworld majordomo, a dogged BPD Special Ops officer, a political toady and Boston’s single dumbest thug, respectively.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
1 Aug. 2024
Noun
-
Musk’s minions were also granted access to the entire Treasury Department payment system and have proceeded to block payments to select federal contractors.—
Elizabeth Shackelford,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Feb. 2025
-
The funeral procession that climaxes Emilia Pérez is the damnedest, craziest thing since Nancy Pelosi and her Democratic minions draped kente cloth stoles over their shoulders and kneeled to canonize George Floyd at the Capitol.—
Armond White,
National Review,
29 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Sara Fischer, Dave Lawler Dec 23, 2024 - Politics & Policy Media's suck-up moment Fearing political retribution and strained by new business challenges, media companies that once covered President-elect Trump with skepticism — and in many cases, disdain — are reconsidering their approach.—
Sara Fischer,
Axios,
14 Jan. 2025
-
To be sure, plenty of companies are still committed to DEI programs, and not all executives are morphing into insufferable suck-ups.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN,
4 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
The bullet from Csonka’s henchman fractured Vo’s collarbone and hit a major vein, sending her into shock during surgery amid much blood loss.—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
21 Jan. 2025
-
Borisov, whose Russian henchman Igor grows close to Mikey Madison's titular character over the course or Baker's unpredictable odyssey, has been dominating awards season for his breakthrough performance.—
Raven Brunner,
People.com,
9 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Karen Parker provides support and medical attention to migrants in the mountains, such as treating broken ankles, cuts and parasite wounds.—
Eugene Garcia,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Jan. 2025
-
The researchers suspected that the snakeskins must bring some benefit—perhaps by helping to scare off predators, reduce skin parasite infestations or shift microbial communities in positive ways.—
Michael Gfoeller And David H. Rundell,
Newsweek,
16 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
No matter what spec-chart flunkies might say about a car that merely hits 60 mph in 3.1 seconds, GT 63 proved as ferocious and exhilarating as any front-engine GT car available, whether German, Italian or English.—
Mark Ewing,
Forbes,
30 Dec. 2024
-
Jin and his other flunkies excuse themselves, but Tetsu keeps Botan there to question him.—
Chris Klimek,
Vulture,
24 July 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near lickspittle
Cite this Entry
“Lickspittle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lickspittle. Accessed 10 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share