as in fawning
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Recent Examples of sycophancy
The second is that chatbots, which mimic emotional intimacy and tend toward sycophancy, warp how children forge their selfhood and relationships.
—
Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 23 Apr. 2026
None of the companies directly commented on the Science study on Thursday but Anthropic and OpenAI pointed to their recent work to reduce sycophancy.
—Matt O'Brien, Fortune, 29 Mar. 2026
Dana Calacci, who studies the social impact of AI at Pennsylvania State University and wasn’t involved in the new research, has found that sycophancy tends to get worse the longer users interact with the model.
—Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 26 Mar. 2026
Cheng found that writing a question from a third-person point of view reduced social sycophancy.
—Matthew Hutson, IEEE Spectrum, 11 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sycophancy
Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 23 Apr. 2026
None of the companies directly commented on the Science study on Thursday but Anthropic and OpenAI pointed to their recent work to reduce sycophancy.
—Matt O'Brien, Fortune, 29 Mar. 2026
Dana Calacci, who studies the social impact of AI at Pennsylvania State University and wasn’t involved in the new research, has found that sycophancy tends to get worse the longer users interact with the model.
—Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 26 Mar. 2026
Cheng found that writing a question from a third-person point of view reduced social sycophancy.
—Matthew Hutson, IEEE Spectrum, 11 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sycophancy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sycophancy
Noun
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The fawning didn’t get him very far.—
Michael Schuman,
The Atlantic,
15 May 2026
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According to Gaiani, drinking or using drugs before social situations is a major sign that your teen may be using alcohol to cope with fawning and to feel more comfortable or confident.—
Sarah Scott,
Parents,
25 Aug. 2025
Noun
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But Colbert put his own spin on things, like wearing his Catholic faith and his adoration of his wife and frequent guest, Evie McGee Colbert, on his sleeve.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
20 May 2026
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Yet she’s viewed, like everything else in the movie, with an adoration that is nearly transcendental.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
16 May 2026
Noun
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And two-thirds say churches and other houses of worship should keep out of political matters.—
Yonat Shimron,
NPR,
15 May 2026
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But the chapel, heavy with the scent of ecclesiastical incense, felt as genuine as could be, worn from nearly two centuries of worship.—
Paul Brady,
Travel + Leisure,
15 May 2026
Noun
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The two groups displayed a large balloon near the mall of a Trump-like golden calf, a biblical reference to idolatry.—
Tiffany Stanley,
Los Angeles Times,
17 May 2026
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Pastor Burns defended the installation via a lengthy public statement after critics compared it to the biblical golden calf, a symbol associated with idolatry.—
Tiago Ventura,
Time,
15 May 2026
Noun
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As was the case with the white-and-green dress for her Pakistan tour, Elizabeth, in her fashion choices, sought not only to avoid giving offense but to offer symbolic ingratiation, and among the most fascinating garments on display are those representing diplomatic dressing.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
17 Apr. 2026
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Each chapter discusses a specific sales element, which includes such topics as goal setting, prospecting, ingratiation and listening tactics, empathy and much more.—
Larry D. Urish,
Oc Register,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sycophancy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sycophancy. Accessed 25 May. 2026.
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