as in flunkey
a person who flatters another in order to get ahead
be careful not to mistake sycophants for true friends
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sycophant
Laura Bassett, Rolling Stone, 14 Apr. 2025
This is the grim lesson—one that the ambitious sycophants who attach themselves to power have always been slow to learn—of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall Trilogy, a series of fat, dense novels that filter the reign of Henry VIII through the rise and fall of his Machiavellian advisor, Thomas Cromwell.
—Judy Berman, Time, 28 Mar. 2025
Heslov said that Clooney has made sure to keep his old friends close, so he isn’t surrounded by sycophants.
—Thea Traff, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025
What may be worse is that a gaggle of sycophants and groupthink team members underneath the Dark Empath—the direct reports—create a ruthless echo chamber for the king or queen at the top of Mt. Stupid.
—Dan Pontefract, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sycophant
Noun
There are still sycophants and acolytes, but no savvy producers to make his head-scratching moves appear to make sense.
—Laura Bassett, Rolling Stone, 14 Apr. 2025
This is the grim lesson—one that the ambitious sycophants who attach themselves to power have always been slow to learn—of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall Trilogy, a series of fat, dense novels that filter the reign of Henry VIII through the rise and fall of his Machiavellian advisor, Thomas Cromwell.
—Judy Berman, Time, 28 Mar. 2025
Heslov said that Clooney has made sure to keep his old friends close, so he isn’t surrounded by sycophants.
—Thea Traff, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025
What may be worse is that a gaggle of sycophants and groupthink team members underneath the Dark Empath—the direct reports—create a ruthless echo chamber for the king or queen at the top of Mt. Stupid.
—Dan Pontefract, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sycophant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sycophant
Adjective
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After the model has been trained, companies can set system prompts, or guidelines, for how the model should behave to minimize sycophantic behavior.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
12 June 2025
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Schwartzman’s character, Souper—the poorest of the group, whose nickname is short for soup kitchen—gives off an insecure, sycophantic vibe that reminds me of an acolyte from Musk’s text messages.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
30 May 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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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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But the joke’s on us — Republican senators, who are the only players with any real power to stop them, have simply decided not to, all so that President Camacho can play at government with his favorite suck-ups.—
S.E. Cupp,
New York Daily News,
4 Feb. 2025
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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
Noun
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Oswald’s realm and his penguins and his minions and his passion.—
Jack Smart,
People.com,
3 June 2025
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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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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 all eyes inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse — and across the country on the national telecast — on Clark, fans enjoyed a spectacular performance by the ex-Hawkeyes star from the opening tip.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
14 June 2025
Noun
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Kent has shown up at Gloucester’s castle and runs into Goneril’s steward/henchman, Oswald.—
Nan Z. Da
June 10,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2025
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Noni finds herself up against Lion’s violent henchmen and women in series of fight-to-the-death encounters aboard the tyrant’s grandiose sailing ship, which lies at the heart of a vast naval fleet.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
9 June 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
Cite this Entry
“Sycophant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sycophant. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
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