SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
sycophant
noun
A person who flatters someone powerful to gain advantage.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
CHOOSE WITH CARE
A useful distinction
Alternatives apply to the displayed meaning. Related wording may differ in tone or grammar and is not always interchangeable.
A person who flatters someone powerful to gain advantage
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topAlternatives apply to the displayed meaning. Related wording may differ in tone or grammar and is not always interchangeable.
RELATED FORMS, ONE FEATURED ENTRY
The sycophant family
These forms are closely related, but their grammar and use are not identical. Expand a form to compare its meaning and examples.
sycophanticadjective
Using excessive flattery toward an influential person.
Flattering to gain favor
Closest synonyms
Related expressions
The review was so sycophantic that it read like an advertisement.
Later, a committee member wrote a sycophantic introduction that lavishly praised the donor's taste in hopes of gaining personal favor.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See sycophant in use
The director valued honest criticism more than the praise of a sycophant.
The satire surrounds its vain ruler with a sycophant at every door.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license