as in flunkey
a person who flatters another in order to get ahead
be careful not to mistake sycophants for true friends
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sycophant
Ars Technica, 5 Feb. 2025
Where American power is for sale to the biggest sycophants?
—S.e. Cupp, New York Daily News, 4 Feb. 2025
Those vibes were often dictated by the sycophants in Musk’s orbit.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 3 Feb. 2025
Triangle of Sadness parodied the wealthy class and their out-of-touch behaviors; The Menu gorged on monstrous culinary world personalities and the sycophants who feed them; and most recently, Blink Twice confronted the protective bubbles shielding powerful men from accountability.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sycophant
Noun
However, Elez seems closely linked to Musk, who is often criticized for surrounding himself with sycophants.
—Ars Technica, 5 Feb. 2025
Where American power is for sale to the biggest sycophants?
—S.e. Cupp, New York Daily News, 4 Feb. 2025
Those vibes were often dictated by the sycophants in Musk’s orbit.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 3 Feb. 2025
Triangle of Sadness parodied the wealthy class and their out-of-touch behaviors; The Menu gorged on monstrous culinary world personalities and the sycophants who feed them; and most recently, Blink Twice confronted the protective bubbles shielding powerful men from accountability.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sycophant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sycophant
Adjective
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This isn't meant to be some sycophantic bowing of the head to Trump and his MAGA movement, but rather a statement of fact.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
21 Mar. 2025
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Already, and despite its shortfalls such as hallucinations – when chatbots make up inexistent facts, and sycophantic behavior – when the bot gives a particular answer to elicit the user’s approval, AI has been shown to outperform CEO’s on a range of tasks.—
Cornelia C. Walther,
Forbes,
11 Mar. 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
-
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
-
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
-
The dancer parts include minions, palace guards, enchanted birds and a hunting party.—
San Diego Union-Tribune,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Mar. 2025
-
Two months into Donald Trump’s second term, his Republican attack dogs, including Elon Musk and his minions at DOGE, are still busy chewing into many parts of the federal government.—
John Cassidy,
The New Yorker,
24 Mar. 2025
Noun
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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
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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
Noun
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In Lynch’s festering neo-noir mystery from 1987, Hopper plays a chronic villain perpetually sipping from a tank of amyl nitrate and handing out hits as a way to manipulate his henchmen.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
14 Mar. 2025
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Back in Montana, every trip Jacob and company take to Bozeman and back is inevitably fraught with peril — if not instigated by dastardly rich guy Donald Whitfield (Timothy Dalton) and/or his henchman Banner Creighton (Jerome Flynn), then by the pitiless nature of extreme weather.—
Matt Brennan,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Banner tells Whitfield that he’s lost his sheep herd to parasites, and Whitfield has the nerve to laugh.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
2 Mar. 2025
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Animals of all shapes, sizes, and evolutionary lineages engage in behaviors that ward off parasites, viruses, and harmful bacteria.—
Gabe Allen,
Discover Magazine,
20 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sycophant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sycophant. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
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