as in flunkie
a person who flatters another in order to get ahead
surrounded himself with brainless brownnosers, so no wonder the company went down the tubes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brownnoser
Noun
-
Hitler surrounded himself with sycophants, had zero tolerance for dissent and demanded unwavering loyalty.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
8 June 2025 -
Nobody advertises for sycophants, but often recruiting and interview processes can favor candidates who are agreeable and whose thinking doesn’t conflict with the status quo.—
Roger Dooley,
Forbes.com,
13 May 2025
Noun
-
Images of toadies buttering up an emperor come to mind.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
11 July 2025
-
Courtesy of Lucasfilm On an isolated farm at the outer reaches of a fascist empire, a mid-level government toady interrogates his victims.—
Jake Kleinman,
Wired News,
23 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
But the joke’s on us — Republican senators, who are the only players with any real power to stop them, have simply decided not to, all so that President Camacho can play at government with his favorite suck-ups.—
S.E. Cupp,
New York Daily News,
4 Feb. 2025
-
Sara Fischer, Dave Lawler Dec 23, 2024 - Politics & Policy Media's suck-up moment Fearing political retribution and strained by new business challenges, media companies that once covered President-elect Trump with skepticism — and in many cases, disdain — are reconsidering their approach.—
Sara Fischer,
Axios,
14 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Such as holding court, choosing your sobriquet, and naming imbecilic lickspittles to our Kingsguard.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
7 July 2024
-
What happened to the idea that art and culture should be a contemptuous refuge from the mainstream, as opposed to this lickspittle, running dog accommodation to the mainstream?—
Billboard Staff,
Billboard,
3 June 2022
Noun
-
Donald Trump is desperate to distract his followers from a scandal of his own making, pulling out all the stops to try to get MAGA minions to talk and think about something else — anything else.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
21 July 2025
-
Daigo's minions will be making an appearance in Lego Fortnite Odyssey now that the Spires are activated, so players will have to watch out for that while working on their villages.—
Oliver Brandt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 July 2025
Noun
-
Around 4,500 Everton fans made the short trip into neighbouring Lancashire for Saturday’s match.—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
21 July 2025
-
Winn said that fan encounter did not happen at Eastern Market, which is is probably good for the chickens, given the number of slaughterhouses nearby.—
M.L. Elrick,
Freep.com,
21 July 2025
Noun
-
The showdown of General Zod and his henchmen also takes place at the Fortress, with a great twist to defeat them.—
Daryl Baxter,
Space.com,
11 July 2025
-
Malaparte, by then, was making his name as one of Mussolini’s highbrow henchmen.—
Thomas Meaney,
New Yorker,
2 July 2025
Noun
-
The United States is dropping about 100 million sterile flies each week in southern Mexico to help slow the spread of the parasite.—
Clara Migoya,
AZCentral.com,
16 July 2025
-
Colton was also prescribed a parasite treatment due to diarrhea, the warrant affidavit said.—
Staff report,
Hartford Courant,
16 July 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Brownnoser.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brownnoser. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share