OBSEQUIOUS Synonyms: 103 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'obsequious' distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of obsequious are servile , slavish , and subservient . While all these words mean "showing or characterized by extreme compliance or abject obedience," obsequious implies fawning or sycophantic compliance and exaggerated deference of manner. // waiters who are obsequious in the presence of celebrities

Q: When is 'servile' a more appropriate choice than 'obsequious'?

The synonyms servile and obsequious are sometimes interchangeable, but servile suggests the mean or fawning behavior of a slave. // a political boss and his entourage of servile hangers-on

Q: When can 'slavish' be used instead of 'obsequious'?

Although the words slavish and obsequious have much in common, slavish suggests abject or debased servility. // the slavish status of migrant farm workers

Q: When could 'subservient' be used to replace 'obsequious'?

The meanings of subservient and obsequious largely overlap; however, subservient implies the cringing manner of one very conscious of a subordinate position. // domestic help was expected to be properly subservient

obsequious

adjective

Definition of obsequious next

as in subordinate

disapproving too eager to help or obey someone important She's constantly followed by obsequious assistants who will do anything she tells them to.

Synonyms & Similar Words

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How is the word obsequious distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of obsequious are servile, slavish, and subservient. While all these words mean "showing or characterized by extreme compliance or abject obedience," obsequious implies fawning or sycophantic compliance and exaggerated deference of manner.

waiters who are obsequious in the presence of celebrities

When is servile a more appropriate choice than obsequious?

The synonyms servile and obsequious are sometimes interchangeable, but servile suggests the mean or fawning behavior of a slave.

a political boss and his entourage of servile hangers-on

When can slavish be used instead of obsequious?

Although the words slavish and obsequious have much in common, slavish suggests abject or debased servility.

the slavish status of migrant farm workers

When could subservient be used to replace obsequious?

The meanings of subservient and obsequious largely overlap; however, subservient implies the cringing manner of one very conscious of a subordinate position.

domestic help was expected to be properly subservient

Examples Sentences

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Recent Examples of obsequious What about her incessantly supportive mother (Rosemarie DeWitt) or her obsequious assistant (Miles Gutierrez-Riley)? —

Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2024 Those words were the theme for the entire stay, from the friendly but not obsequious doormen, to the at-the-ready house car (a hybrid Bentley SUV, naturally), to the peaceful, never-overcrowded Hanover Square directly across the street. —

Laura Ratliff, Travel + Leisure, 19 Oct. 2024 Hugh Grant and a scented candle terrorize two young missionaries in the trailer for A24's Heretic Grant exudes an almost obsequious congeniality before letting something more sinister seep from his pores. —

Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 10 Sep. 2024 Each segment sinks into depravity: First, Jesse Plemons, an obsequious employee, obeys his boss Willem Dafoe’s orders to kill. —

Armond White, National Review, 21 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for obsequious

Recent Examples of Synonyms for obsequious

Adjective

To salvage the 155th Mechanized Brigade, a unit that Ukraine, France and Poland spent months and millions of dollars training and equipping, Ukrainian leaders have begun assigning its fresh but inexperienced subordinate units to the weary but experienced brigades in the Pokrovsk sector.

David Axe, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2025
Despite a propaganda campaign encouraging all Americans to come together and do their part to defeat the Axis and totalitarianism, the U.S. military remained rigidly segregated with people of color subjugated into subordinate roles and Black soldiers discriminated against abroad and at home.

Tracie Canada / Made by History, TIME, 1 Jan. 2025