as in servility
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Recent Examples of obsequiousness
Groypers are repelled by the obsequiousness of pro-Trump influencers who are always willing to contort themselves to support the President’s latest actions.
—
Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
The obsequiousness, the sneers, the boasting, the vacant generalities, and the hand-waving bespeak fear of departing from the Trumpian orthodoxy of the moment.
—Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 29 Jan. 2026
The overconfidence and obsequiousness of LLMs are training choices.
—Bruce Schneier, IEEE Spectrum, 21 Jan. 2026
Trump doesn’t have much to show for his obsequiousness.
—Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 12 Sep. 2025
For another recent client, the board’s questions about his employer’s stock vesting schedule had Bari, the client, his agent, and the listing agent go through four rounds of revisions to ensure their response nailed a just-right level of obsequiousness.
—Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 11 Aug. 2025
Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
The obsequiousness, the sneers, the boasting, the vacant generalities, and the hand-waving bespeak fear of departing from the Trumpian orthodoxy of the moment.
—Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 29 Jan. 2026
The overconfidence and obsequiousness of LLMs are training choices.
—Bruce Schneier, IEEE Spectrum, 21 Jan. 2026
Trump doesn’t have much to show for his obsequiousness.
—Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 12 Sep. 2025
For another recent client, the board’s questions about his employer’s stock vesting schedule had Bari, the client, his agent, and the listing agent go through four rounds of revisions to ensure their response nailed a just-right level of obsequiousness.
—Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 11 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obsequiousness
Noun
-
In recent days, another leak—of a call between Orbán and Vladimir Putin—has been held up as evidence of the former’s subservience.—
Kapil Komireddi,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2026
-
While counting the president’s fallacies has become routine, the ideological subservience of his senior-most cabinet members and advisors this term has given the public reason to second-guess statements and data issued by them or their offices.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Fortune,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The steadfast pushback against the administration might appear on the surface to be an encouraging trend, given the complaisance of the Republican majorities in Congress and weak-kneed capitulation to Trump by leaders of institutions such as universities and major corporations.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Yet electing to be private doesn’t amount to complaisance or complicity.—
Lesley M.M. Blume,
Town & Country,
6 Dec. 2022
Noun
-
Murakami didn’t speak after homering Monday in deference to Nishida, but made an exception after Tuesday’s loss.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
27 May 2026
-
Loper Bright cut into agency deference last term, but reviewing courts still consider whether an agency’s interpretation is reasonable in light of statutory purpose.—
Zennon Kapron,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
Noun
-
Writing in the early 1890s, Nadar deployed Balzac’s reported initial mistrust and later acquiescence to the daguerreotype as an allegory of larger significance for understanding the history of invention.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Apr. 2026
-
But as the sexist and racist nature of the MAGA machine has gained mainstream acquiescence if not acceptance, the need to keep up the appearance of diversity is less and less.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Obsequiousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obsequiousness. Accessed 3 Jun. 2026.
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