sycophantic

adjective

sy·​co·​phan·​tic ˌsi-kə-ˈfan-tik How to pronounce sycophantic (audio)
 also  ˌsī-
: of, relating to, or characteristic of a sycophant : fawning, obsequious
sycophantic compliments
sycophantically adverb

Examples of sycophantic in a Sentence

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Schwartzman’s character, Souper—the poorest of the group, whose nickname is short for soup kitchen—gives off an insecure, sycophantic vibe that reminds me of an acolyte from Musk’s text messages. Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 30 May 2025 One of Willison's most interesting findings about Claude 4 relates to how Anthropic has guided both Claude models to avoid sycophantic behavior. ArsTechnica, 27 May 2025 At its most depraved level, this is get-rich-quick music; these artist-grifters are like sycophantic workers debasing themselves for the Big Boss Algorithm. Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 21 May 2025 Clearly only on the qualification that Habba — a small-time lawyer who formerly served as general counsel for a parking garage company — was her sycophantic defense of the president during his criminal imbroglios. New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 11 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for sycophantic

Word History

First Known Use

1676, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sycophantic was in 1676

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Cite this Entry

“Sycophantic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sycophantic. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.

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