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
Gautam Mukunda, Twin Cities, 27 July 2025
He’s surrounded mostly by true believers and sycophants and able to engage somewhat freely in various forms of government dismantling and corruption.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 22 July 2025
Increasingly isolated and surrounded by sycophants, Erdogan will likely stick to his modus operandi: responding to any challenge by reflexively wielding the state’s punitive authority.
—Henri J. Barkey, Foreign Affairs, 29 May 2025
And there is enormous pressure on GM Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll, regardless of how many sycophants sell a different version of reality.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sycophant
Adjective
Rewarding sycophants and punishing truth tellers, though, is one of the biggest mistakes leaders can make.
—Gautam Mukunda, Twin Cities, 27 July 2025
He’s surrounded mostly by true believers and sycophants and able to engage somewhat freely in various forms of government dismantling and corruption.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 22 July 2025
Increasingly isolated and surrounded by sycophants, Erdogan will likely stick to his modus operandi: responding to any challenge by reflexively wielding the state’s punitive authority.
—Henri J. Barkey, Foreign Affairs, 29 May 2025
And there is enormous pressure on GM Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll, regardless of how many sycophants sell a different version of reality.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sycophant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sycophant
Adjective
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When OpenAI and Anthropic evaluated each other's models over the summer, OpenAI reported Claude was less likely to engage in sycophantic and harmful behaviors than ChatGPT.—
Emily Forlini,
PC Magazine,
29 Sep. 2025
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In addition, Kimmel got some hilarious help and cultural Kevlar from Robert De Niro played the new sycophantic head of the FCC to seal the deal — cause that’s how the pros do it.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
23 Sep. 2025
Noun
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This draft meeting resembled a bully in the high school cafeteria seeking toadies — any veneer of scouting objectivity was shed.—
Michael Hurley,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Sep. 2025
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In the past, Newsom denounced judges who ruled against them as toadies of the firearms industry.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Trump’s ego and his lickspittles’ desire to feed it, should have nothing to do with commemorating the founding.—
James Bickerton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Oct. 2025
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California’s vulnerable House Republicans are a diverse gaggle that includes new blood and old-timers, a Trump antagonist and a Trump lickspittle.—
Michelle Cottle,
Mercury News,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Like many digital beings, Reps, as Replika’s avatars are known, are engineered to be agreeable, nonjudgmental, and zealously supportive—i.e., suck-ups.—
Patricia Marx,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
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Matthew eventually one-ups the request by losing his boxers as well and going full Winnie the Pooh, which earns him the respect of his fellow suck-ups.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
23 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Everything Wendy does this week just looks cool, thanks in part to her impressive calm and sense of purpose, and thanks even more to the way she’s framed: often from a low angle, at the center of the composition, surrounded by her minions.—
Noel Murray,
Vulture,
24 Sep. 2025
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Rapidly spreading its toxic influence across the lands, Magatsu and its minions are a world-ending threat, and the early tutorial bit sees players square up against the baddie only to ultimately lose.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Some fans on social media speculated that the pop star’s T-shirt might be a subtle jab at Swift, who frequently visits Kansas City with her fiancé, Travis Kelce.—
Mitchell Peters,
Billboard,
12 Oct. 2025
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There will be a lot of Cowboys fans in the crowd.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
12 Oct. 2025
Noun
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His henchmen quickly followed suit.—
Danny Makki,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
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Over eight episodes, the brothers find themselves at the mercy of Mancuso — a former family friend — and his vicious henchmen, and they are forced to confront the emotional scars of growing up with an alcoholic father, who had gambled away his own restaurant.—
Max Gao,
HollywoodReporter,
21 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The benzoquinones in those secretions are pungent to parasites and mosquitoes, and lemurs sometimes also ingest small amounts, suggesting a mix of topical repellent and internal deworming.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Oct. 2025
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As depicted here, Gacy is a parasite latched onto a failing society.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sycophant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sycophant. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.
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