as in humble
showing, expressing, or offered in a spirit of humility or unseemly submissiveness
had always maintained a servile attitude around people with money
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Recent Examples of servile
That this was news was hard to believe, since complaints about servile female voices had been made not for years but for decades.
—
Jill Lepore, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2024
Some Hawaiian cultural experts say aloha is a complex and fluid idea, too often misconstrued as a sweet and servile way of tolerating visitors.
—Jenny Jarvie, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2023
Arriving at Egg Island sporting bohemian attire and a distinctly non-deferent attitude, Monk swiftly arouses the suspicions of Horton and his stuffy, servile housekeeper Mrs. McMurray (Kristine Nielsen).
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 16 Sep. 2023
The statue features a godlike Lincoln astride a kneeling, formerly enslaved man in a loincloth — his servile gratitude could not be more apparent.
—Peter Marks, Washington Post, 15 Sep. 2023
See All Example Sentences for servile
Jill Lepore, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2024
Some Hawaiian cultural experts say aloha is a complex and fluid idea, too often misconstrued as a sweet and servile way of tolerating visitors.
—Jenny Jarvie, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2023
Arriving at Egg Island sporting bohemian attire and a distinctly non-deferent attitude, Monk swiftly arouses the suspicions of Horton and his stuffy, servile housekeeper Mrs. McMurray (Kristine Nielsen).
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 16 Sep. 2023
The statue features a godlike Lincoln astride a kneeling, formerly enslaved man in a loincloth — his servile gratitude could not be more apparent.
—Peter Marks, Washington Post, 15 Sep. 2023
See All Example Sentences for servile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for servile
Adjective
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Sometimes those simple, humble, short-on-ingredients dishes are some of our most cherished.—
Nellah Bailey McGough,
Southern Living,
22 Mar. 2025
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Articulate yet humble in interviews, Coleman is the ultimate team player on the court and the biggest supporter of his teammates off it.—
Matt Le Cren,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The Old Lady have underperformed for much of the campaign, and their meek exit from the Champions League at the hands of PSV Eindhoven increased the scrutiny on Motta, who’s only been in the job since last June.—
Emmet Gates,
Forbes,
21 Mar. 2025
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The column was, if anything, meek to the point of embarrassing.—
Ruth Marcus,
The New Yorker,
12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Later, the abject widow is found huddled with her relatives in the pale curve of an empty swimming pool, a glowing charcoal imbaula nearby to keep them warm.—
Namwali Serpell,
The New Yorker,
25 Mar. 2025
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On an early spring night in 1992, about 75 people were packed under the high vaulted ceiling of the church’s main hall, in abject shock and grief.—
Guthrie Scrimgeour,
Rolling Stone,
16 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Then there are startups like $1.9 billion Writer AI, which makes AI services to automate menial business tasks, and $1.3 billion Clay, makers of AI spreadsheet tools for companies to organize and suss out sales leads.—
Richard Nieva,
Forbes.com,
26 Mar. 2025
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So we’re introduced to Joseph, freshly fired from a menial job and stepping into a world that doesn’t want him.—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
5 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Servile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/servile. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
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