sycophant JUST WRITTEN FOR YOU
/ˈsɪkəfænt/ · sy·co·phan·t
noun
- One who uses obsequious compliments to gain self-serving favor or advantage from another; a servile flatterer. The politician's sycophant advisors were quick to praise his every move.
- One who seeks to gain through the powerful and influential. The ambitious young executive became a sycophant to the CEO, hoping to advance her career.
- An informer; a talebearer. The company's sycophant employee reported his coworkers to management for minor infractions.
verb
- To inform against; hence, to calumniate. The whistleblower sycophanted against the corrupt corporation, exposing their wrongdoing.
- To play the sycophant toward; to flatter obsequiously. The politician sycophanted to the crowd, promising them everything they wanted to hear.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Did you know? The term 'sycophant' has been in use since ancient Greece, where it was used to describe people who would lick up figs to gain favor with the powerful. This phrase has been interpreted as a metaphor for people who would flatter and fawn over others to gain advantage.