servile

American  

[sur-vil, -vahyl] / ˈsɜr vɪl, -vaɪl /

adjective

1. slavishly submissive or obsequious; fawning.

   servile flatterers.

   Synonyms:

   obsequious

   Antonyms:

   insubordinate

2. characteristic of, proper to, or customary for slaves; abject.

   servile obedience.

   Synonyms:

   lowly, humble, obedient

   Antonyms:

   superior, lordly, disobedient

3. yielding slavishly; truckling (usually followed byto ).

4. extremely imitative, especially in the arts; lacking in originality.

5. being in slavery; oppressed.

6. of, relating to, or involving slaves or servants.

7. of or relating to a condition of servitude or property ownership in which a person is held in slavery or partially enslaved.

   medieval rebellions against servile laws.

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servile British  

/ ˈsɜːvaɪl, sɜːˈvɪlɪtɪ /

adjective

1. obsequious or fawning in attitude or behaviour; submissive

2. of or suitable for a slave

3. existing in or relating to a state of slavery

4. submitting or obedient

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Related Words

Servile, menial, obsequious, slavish characterize one who behaves like a slave or an inferior. Servile suggests cringing, fawning, and abject submission: servile responses to questions. Menial applies to that which is considered undesirable drudgery: the most menial tasks. Obsequious implies the ostentatious subordination of oneself to the wishes of another, either from fear or from hope of gain: an obsequious waiter. Slavish stresses the dependence and labori-ous toil of one who follows or obeys without question: slavish attentiveness to orders.

Other Word Forms

• nonservile adjective
• nonservilely adverb
• overservile adjective
• overservilely adverb
• pseudoservile adjective
• pseudoservilely adverb
• servilely adverb
• servileness noun
• servility noun
• unservile adjective
• unservilely adverb

Etymology

Origin of servile

First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English servil(e), serville, from Latin servīlis “of a slave, slavish, servile,” equivalent to serv- (stem of servus “slave”) + -īlis -ile; see also serf ( def. )

Explanation

Servile describes someone who is almost aggressively helpful, like a teacher’s pet who insists on bringing an apple every day even though the teacher doesn’t want it. To call someone servile is an insult. To remember servile, think of the word servant — they both derive from the Latin servus, "enslaved person." The Servile Wars, for example, refer to slave revolts in the Roman Empire. These days, servile describes someone who is so eager to please that it makes you cringe. If you apologize when someone else steps on your foot, you’re being servile.

Example Sentences

In "Ya Bon" he criticised current and past African heads of state who he says have maintained a "servile relationship with the coloniser".

From Barron's • Feb. 23, 2026

Critics saw negotiating with Attilla as servile, but they wrongly assumed that Emperor Theodosius II had a military alternative.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 17, 2025

He loves it even more than obedience from people who've always been servile to him, like Giuliani.

From Salon • Jul. 18, 2024

He could serve as a pet, a provocateur or a sob sister; a servile, wince-inducing stereotype or a sly underminer of various heterosexual norms.

From New York Times • Mar. 11, 2024

Spaulding represented a new kind of Southern black businessman, eschewing the servile role whites demanded of blacks.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson