1
a
: of or characteristic of someone held in forced servitude
especially
: basely or abjectly servile
b
archaic
: despicable, low
I have done with slavish fear of disaster.—
Charlotte Brontë
Charlotte Brontë… in a sense it is infinitely reasonable …. But there is such a thing as a mean infinity, a base and slavish eternity.—G. K. Chesterton
G. K. Chesterton2
archaic
: oppressive, tyrannical
No minion of despotism ever ventured to advance more slavish doctrines …—George McDuffie
George McDuffie3
disapproving
: copying obsequiously or without originality : imitative
slavishly
adverb
slavishness
noun
Synonyms
Examples of slavish in a Sentence
a politician and his slavish followers
He has been criticized for his slavish devotion to the rules.
Recent Examples on the Web
Yet in Kim’s slavish dedication to the Jeju haenyeo’s testimony, many questions that arise in this setting are left unexplored.
—Geoffrey Bunting, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2024
By the beginning of 1956, some American communists openly blamed the poor state of their party on Moscow’s ideological inflexibility—and their own leaders’ slavish obedience to Soviet officials.
—Jeremy Friedman, Foreign Affairs, 17 July 2024
But the final opening skates through Joan dunking her face in an ice bath, arriving at the studio, and then returning home to the slavish Carol Ann.
—Elaina Patton, IndieWire, 29 June 2024
Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s Democratic opponents have expressed horror at his slavish flattery of Putin but have failed to articulate a coherent Russia strategy of their own.
—Michael Kimmage, Foreign Affairs, 11 Feb. 2020
See all Example Sentences for slavish 
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.
Geoffrey Bunting, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2024
By the beginning of 1956, some American communists openly blamed the poor state of their party on Moscow’s ideological inflexibility—and their own leaders’ slavish obedience to Soviet officials.
—Jeremy Friedman, Foreign Affairs, 17 July 2024
But the final opening skates through Joan dunking her face in an ice bath, arriving at the studio, and then returning home to the slavish Carol Ann.
—Elaina Patton, IndieWire, 29 June 2024
Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s Democratic opponents have expressed horror at his slavish flattery of Putin but have failed to articulate a coherent Russia strategy of their own.
—Michael Kimmage, Foreign Affairs, 11 Feb. 2020
See all Example Sentences for slavish
Dictionary Entries Near slavish
Cite this Entry
“Slavish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slavish. Accessed 25 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
slavish
adjective
slav·ish
ˈslā-vish 
1
: of or characteristic of someone held in forced servitude
2
: lacking in independence or originality
slavish imitators
slavishly
adverb
slavishness
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share