sycophant

noun
UK: /ˈsɪk.ə.fænt/
US: /ˈsɪk.ə.fənt/

  1. A person who tries to win favor from wealthy or influential people by flattering them.

    1. He is such a sycophant around the boss.
    2. The manager realized the new employee was a sycophant when he constantly praised his leadership skills.

  2. Someone who uses flattery to try to get what they want from an authority figure.

    1. She's such a sycophant; she's always agreeing with the manager.
    2. The king was surrounded by sycophants who only told him what he wanted to hear, leading to poor decisions.

Synonyms

yes-man toady
sycophant intransitive-verb

  1. To act as a sycophant; to flatter someone excessively to gain favor.

    1. Don't sycophant around; it's not attractive.
    2. He was sycophanting to the director, hoping for a promotion he didn't deserve.
sycophant adjective

  1. Characterized by sycophancy; excessively flattering or obsequious.

    1. His sycophant behavior annoyed everyone.
    2. The intern's sycophant attitude was a clear attempt to curry favor with senior staff.

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "sycophant" in English means: A person who tries to win favor from wealthy or influential people by flattering them., Someone who uses flattery to try to get what they want from an authority figure..

The phonetic transcription of "sycophant" is /ˈsɪk.ə.fænt/ in British English and /ˈsɪk.ə.fənt/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "sycophant": yes-man, toady.

Example usage of "sycophant": "He is such a sycophant around the boss.". More examples on the page.