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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Example Sentences
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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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Improbably located right across the street from their humble abode is the upscale manse inhabited by the Falconers, a rich couple (Katherine Waterson, Chris Klein) who’ve raised only child Tiffany (Fina Strazza) to be a particularly stinging WASP.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
23 May 2025
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Each pits a young heroine of humble means against the formidable, possibly sinister lady of the estate; this time, that quintessential Nicole Kidman role is played by a serenely terrifying Julianne Moore.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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According to the latest report from L.A.’s film office, production days on location decreased more than 22 percent in the first quarter of 2025 compared with an already meek period in 2024.—
Katie Kilkenny,
HollywoodReporter,
2 May 2025
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Democrats, unable either to diagnose or to admit to their own failings, measured their victories in the meekest of triumphs, and seemed to have lost all sense of purpose, direction, and proportion.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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There’s been the sublime, the abject, high drama, controversy, punch ups.—
The Athletic UK Staff,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
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Based on lottery odds, two years of abject losing might (but only might) get you a top-three pick.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
19 May 2025
Adjective
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According to many pundits, AI will replace the menial and manual tasks of humans with artificial capabilities rendered by machines (both physical and virtual).—
Barry Libert,
Forbes,
19 Mar. 2025
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While most of the program’s agents are engrossed in secretive investigative work, even the most menial role is critical — like Peter Sutherland’s.—
Meredith Blake,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Servile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/servile. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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