sycophantic
/,sikə'fæntik/ Cách viết khác : (sycophantical) /,sikə'fæntikəl/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Excessively flattering or obedient to gain favor or advantage: Describes behavior that is insincerely complimentary, servile, or fawning, especially towards someone in authority, to win their approval or special treatment.
- Characteristic of a sycophant: Pertaining to or exhibiting the traits of a person who uses flattery to advance themselves.
Usage and Examples
- General Use:
- His sycophantic praise of the manager's every idea was transparent to everyone else in the office.
- The journalist wrote a sycophantic article about the celebrity, avoiding any form of criticism.
- Describing Behavior or Language:
- She was tired of the sycophantic attention from people who only wanted something from her.
- He adopted a sycophantic tone whenever he spoke to the company's CEO.
Advanced Usage and Nuances
- "sycophantic admiration": Flattery presented as deep admiration.
- The dictator was surrounded by sycophantic admiration, which shielded him from reality.
- "sycophantic toadying": Emphasizes the obsequious, servile nature of the behavior (note: "toadying" is a near-synonym).
- The court was filled with sycophantic toadying from nobles seeking royal grants.
Variants and Related Words
- Sycophant (n): A person who acts in a sycophantic manner; a flatterer who seeks favor.
- He was seen as a mere sycophant, not a genuine colleague.
- Sycophancy (n): The practice or characteristic of being sycophantic.
- The culture of sycophancy in the organization stifled honest feedback.
- Sycophantical (adj): A less common variant with the same meaning as "sycophantic."
Synonyms
- Obsequious: Showing excessive eagerness to serve or obey; fawning.
- Servile: Having or showing an excessive willingness to serve or please others.
- Fawning: Displaying exaggerated flattery or affection.
- Toadying: Behaving in an obsequious way to gain advantage.
Antonyms
- Frank: Open, honest, and direct in speech or writing.
- Candid: Truthful and straightforward; frank.
- Independent: Free from outside control; not influenced by others.
Related Idioms and Phrases
- Kiss up to (someone) : To behave in a sycophantic way towards someone.
- He's always kissing up to the boss, hoping for a promotion.
- Butter (someone) up : To flatter or praise someone excessively, especially to gain a favor.
- She tried to butter up her professor before asking for an extension.
Adjective
- attempting to win favor by flattery
- attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery