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sycophant

American  
[sik-uh-fuhnt, -fant, sahy-kuh-] / ˈsɪk ə fənt, -ˌfænt, ˈsaɪ kə- /

noun

  1. a self-seeking, servile flatterer; fawning parasite.

    Synonyms:
    flatterer, fawner, flunky, toady
sycophant British  
/ ˈsɪkəfənt /

noun

  1. a person who uses flattery to win favour from individuals wielding influence; toady

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • sycophancy noun
  • sycophantic adjective
  • sycophantical adjective
  • sycophantically adverb
  • sycophantish adjective
  • sycophantishly adverb
  • sycophantism noun

Etymology

Origin of sycophant

First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin sȳcophanta, from Greek sȳkophántēs “informer,” from sŷko(n) “fig” + phan- (stem of phaínein “to show”) + -tēs, agent noun suffix

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.