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

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.

Recent Examples of obsequious 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 And, even though the boy is unseen, the actor sure has nailed down the aggressively obsequious kind of intimacy with youth that has cost society so much. —

Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 7 Mar. 2024 Since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Russian political elite have grown more pliant in implementing Putin’s orders and more obsequious in pandering to his paranoid worldview. —

Maksim Samorukov, Foreign Affairs, 25 Apr. 2024 See all Example Sentences for obsequious

Recent Examples of Synonyms for obsequious

Adjective

The social critique was still in there but subordinate to these rich, comically flawed characters, each getting something like their own book.

Adam Moss, Vulture, 25 Nov. 2024
The four-star Army general in charge of U.S. Central Command is under investigation on allegations of pushing a subordinate service member during a recent trip to the Middle East, according to three U.S. officials familiar with the investigation.

Courtney Kube, NBC News, 31 Oct. 2024