sycophancy

noun
UK: /ˈsɪkəfənsi/
US: /ˈsɪkəfænsi/

  1. Behavior that tries to please someone important.

    1. His sycophancy got him a promotion quickly.
    2. The manager saw through the employee's sycophancy and valued genuine work instead.

  2. The act of praising powerful people in order to get their approval.

    1. Sycophancy is common in politics.
    2. The king was surrounded by flatterers, and his court was filled with sycophancy.

Synonyms

flattery fawning

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "sycophancy" in English means: Behavior that tries to please someone important., The act of praising powerful people in order to get their approval..

The phonetic transcription of "sycophancy" is /ˈsɪkəfənsi/ in British English and /ˈsɪkəfænsi/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "sycophancy": flattery, fawning.

Example usage of "sycophancy": "His sycophancy got him a promotion quickly.". More examples on the page.