Definition

1. 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

1. attempting to win favor by flattery
2. attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery