variants
also flunkey
or flunkie
1
as in servant
a person hired to perform household or personal services
since I'm just the flunky who files his papers, I've no idea where he is
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sycophant
a person who flatters another in order to get ahead
a rock star who saw through the phonies and the flunkies
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of flunky
Lou’s father runs the town, sort of like a low-level mobster in a mob that only employs flunkies and toadies with nothing better to do.
—
Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 13 Mar. 2024
Brennan’s flunkies created a fake online profile to access the network used by the Senate Intelligence Committee, whose Democratic members were at the time investigating the CIA’s torture program.
—Becket Adams, National Review, 9 July 2023
In episode 5, Manfredi viciously killed a mob flunky, Nico, who Tina said had molested her while her father was serving a 25-year prison sentence.
—Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 20 Dec. 2022
And Julia’s cousin, the feckless Lord Cassidy (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), is amusing as a flunky for Julia’s demands.
—Natalia Winkelman, BostonGlobe.com, 29 June 2022
See All Example Sentences for flunky
Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 13 Mar. 2024
Brennan’s flunkies created a fake online profile to access the network used by the Senate Intelligence Committee, whose Democratic members were at the time investigating the CIA’s torture program.
—Becket Adams, National Review, 9 July 2023
In episode 5, Manfredi viciously killed a mob flunky, Nico, who Tina said had molested her while her father was serving a 25-year prison sentence.
—Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 20 Dec. 2022
And Julia’s cousin, the feckless Lord Cassidy (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), is amusing as a flunky for Julia’s demands.
—Natalia Winkelman, BostonGlobe.com, 29 June 2022
See All Example Sentences for flunky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flunky
Noun
-
Son Heung-min has been a tremendous servant to the club, but at 32, his influence appears to be waning.—
Robert Kidd,
Forbes.com,
30 Mar. 2025
-
In the background, a servant peels back a curtain to deliver a basket of fruit.—
Eli Wizevich,
Smithsonian Magazine,
26 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Heslov said that Clooney has made sure to keep his old friends close, so he isn’t surrounded by sycophants.—
Thea Traff,
New York Times,
20 Feb. 2025
-
What may be worse is that a gaggle of sycophants and groupthink team members underneath the Dark Empath—the direct reports—create a ruthless echo chamber for the king or queen at the top of Mt. Stupid.—
Dan Pontefract,
Forbes,
11 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
But framing Paul American as a retrospection on labor, with the boys and their family and their lackeys gassing them up over and over, just isn’t that interesting.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
28 Mar. 2025
-
Neither Evil Steve Jobs nor his mercenary lackey are given much of a motor and oppressive presence.—
Courtney Howard,
Variety,
7 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Republican lickspittles like Lindsey Graham and Jim Banks praised Trump and trashed Zelenskyy while Russian leaders rejoiced.—
Maureen Dowd,
The Mercury News,
4 Mar. 2025
-
Of course, being a junior senator and attaching your name to legislation that has little chance of being enacted—none of those have bills passed—is very different from being Vice-President and chief lickspittle to Trump.—
John Cassidy,
The New Yorker,
22 July 2024
Noun
-
Grimes was a graduate assistant under Lou Holtz from 1981-82.—
Michael Harley,
Arkansas Online,
6 Apr. 2025
-
However, when the original assistant is gone, there will be no alternative but to use its AI-powered replacement.—
Paul Monckton,
Forbes.com,
5 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
But the joke’s on us — Republican senators, who are the only players with any real power to stop them, have simply decided not to, all so that President Camacho can play at government with his favorite suck-ups.—
S.E. Cupp,
New York Daily News,
4 Feb. 2025
-
Sara Fischer, Dave Lawler Dec 23, 2024 - Politics & Policy Media's suck-up moment Fearing political retribution and strained by new business challenges, media companies that once covered President-elect Trump with skepticism — and in many cases, disdain — are reconsidering their approach.—
Sara Fischer,
Axios,
14 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
As of this writing, tens of thousands of Americans in government roles have already been fired by Elon’s tech toadies.—
Kara Swisher,
The Atlantic,
9 Mar. 2025
-
But at the end of the Cold War, state sponsors and their toadies lost ground.—
Audrey Kurth Cronin,
Foreign Affairs,
21 Dec. 2011
Noun
-
Add Pierce Brosnan to the list of George Clooney's fans!—
Charna Flam,
People.com,
4 Apr. 2025
-
The wait is over for fans anticipating the beginning of Grand Slam Track.—
Katelyn Hutchison,
Forbes.com,
4 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flunky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flunky. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share