SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
sycophantic
adjective
Using excessive flattery toward an influential person.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Flattering to gain favor
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topSycophantic flattery seeks favor from someone influential. Deferential can be sincere respect; bootlicking is an especially disparaging informal term.
RELATED FORMS, ONE FEATURED ENTRY
The sycophant family
sycophantic is grouped under sycophant in the main dictionaries. This form keeps its meaning and previous study record.
sycophantnoun
A person who flatters someone powerful to gain advantage.
A person who flatters someone powerful to gain advantage
Closest synonyms
Related expressions
The director valued honest criticism more than the praise of a sycophant.
The satire surrounds its vain ruler with a sycophant at every door.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See sycophantic in use
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.
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