variants
also flunkey
or flunkie
1
as in servant
a person hired to perform household or personal services
since I'm just the flunky who files his papers, I've no idea where he is
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sycophant
a person who flatters another in order to get ahead
a rock star who saw through the phonies and the flunkies
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of flunky
Lou’s father runs the town, sort of like a low-level mobster in a mob that only employs flunkies and toadies with nothing better to do.
—
Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 13 Mar. 2024
Brennan’s flunkies created a fake online profile to access the network used by the Senate Intelligence Committee, whose Democratic members were at the time investigating the CIA’s torture program.
—Becket Adams, National Review, 9 July 2023
In episode 5, Manfredi viciously killed a mob flunky, Nico, who Tina said had molested her while her father was serving a 25-year prison sentence.
—Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 20 Dec. 2022
And Julia’s cousin, the feckless Lord Cassidy (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), is amusing as a flunky for Julia’s demands.
—Natalia Winkelman, BostonGlobe.com, 29 June 2022
See All Example Sentences for flunky
Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 13 Mar. 2024
Brennan’s flunkies created a fake online profile to access the network used by the Senate Intelligence Committee, whose Democratic members were at the time investigating the CIA’s torture program.
—Becket Adams, National Review, 9 July 2023
In episode 5, Manfredi viciously killed a mob flunky, Nico, who Tina said had molested her while her father was serving a 25-year prison sentence.
—Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 20 Dec. 2022
And Julia’s cousin, the feckless Lord Cassidy (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), is amusing as a flunky for Julia’s demands.
—Natalia Winkelman, BostonGlobe.com, 29 June 2022
See All Example Sentences for flunky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flunky
Noun
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While public money was spent on converting former servants quarters into a family home, the interior decor was paid for privately.—
Mark Davis,
Newsweek,
16 Mar. 2025
-
There, a plaque remembers Anne Glover, an Irish servant who was falsely accused of witchcraft and executed.—
Michele Herrmann,
Forbes,
15 Mar. 2025
Noun
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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
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Of course, Veep’s sycophants, buffoons, and backstabbers bear little resemblance to the vanguard of our latest regime.—
Judy Berman,
TIME,
20 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Neither Evil Steve Jobs nor his mercenary lackey are given much of a motor and oppressive presence.—
Courtney Howard,
Variety,
7 Mar. 2025
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The long-tail effect of all this is to make Quinn and all his many lackeys seem as toothless a threat as Zachary Beck is.—
Chris Klimek,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2025
Noun
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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
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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
Noun
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Each agent, from autonomous drones delivering packages to personal AI assistants managing healthcare schedules, informs and learns from the collective ecosystem.—
Cathy Hackl,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
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In November 2023 riots broke out in Dublin when an Algerian national was arrested after allegedly stabbing and injuring three young children and a care assistant.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
22 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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As of this writing, tens of thousands of Americans in government roles have already been fired by Elon’s tech toadies.—
Kara Swisher,
The Atlantic,
9 Mar. 2025
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But at the end of the Cold War, state sponsors and their toadies lost ground.—
Audrey Kurth Cronin,
Foreign Affairs,
21 Dec. 2011
Noun
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And from the elevators to the fan boards, nearly all reactions seemed to be in agreement that the show was on fire from the very beginning of the first set through the finale.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
22 Mar. 2025
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On The Louisiana Derby Along with wagering on the biggest races at FanDuel Racing, horse racing fans can tune into FanDuelTV for live on-site coverage of the two major Derby preps at Fair Grounds and Turfway Park.—
Jay Ginsbach,
Forbes,
22 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flunky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flunky. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
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