groveling 1 of 2

adjective

variants or grovelling
Definition of grovelingnext
as in fawning

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

groveling

2 of 2

verb

variants or grovelling
present participle of grovel
1
as in flinching
to draw back or crouch down in fearful submission the way in which the abused dog would grovel whenever its owner came near

Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in crawling
to move slowly with the body close to the ground because of their anatomy, bats can only grovel while moving along the ground

Synonyms & Similar Words

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for groveling
  1. obsequious
  2. servile
  3. cowering
  4. crouching
  5. sycophantic
  6. slithering
  7. subservient
  8. worshipful
Adjective
  • What was criminal in the eyes of Putin and occasioned Navalny’s death was his work exposing the tyrant, his obsequious oligarchs and lickspittle party United Russia as crooks, thieves and killers.
    Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 15 Nov. 2024
  • Sunny initially speaks in an obsequious ChatGPT-generic tone, but the robot gradually adopts Suzie’s speech patterns, softening Suzie’s initial skepticism.
    Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2024
Definition of obsequious
Adjective
  • His co-stars, like Will Ferrell’s savage Mugatu, Owen Wilson’s stoner hottie Hansel, and Nathan Lee Graham’s servile Todd — all so precise and well-defined in the original’s ravelike milieu — are doomed to retrace their old steps here.
    Sean Malin, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2024
  • These officials could, in turn, redistribute some of their private goods among their own servile lieutenants, but the monarch retained ultimate power to grant or revoke their privileged status.
    Serhiy Kudelia, Foreign Affairs, 27 Feb. 2014
Definition of servile
Verb
  • The staff member can be seen cowering down to fend off the attack and then turns and squares up to the irate passenger, who’s wearing a green colored top and army green pants.
    Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 29 Nov. 2024
  • The trauma of war is ever-present in Honda's vision, which sees citizens fleeing for their lives and cowering in the rubble of their homes.
    Katie Rife, EW.com, 18 Oct. 2024
Definition of cowering
Verb
  • Excavations unearthed priceless statues and reliefs, including depictions of crouching lions and a youthful male figure.
    Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 14 Dec. 2024
  • This may include defensive movements or acting submissively—tucking their tail between their legs, lowering their eyes or crouching to appear smaller.
    Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2024
Definition of crouching
Adjective
  • Guillermo has gone from a sycophantic servant, dreaming of the day his master would turn him into a mythical creature of the night, to an out-and-proud vampire hunter who lives alongside his former lieges.
    Ben Travers, IndieWire, 16 Dec. 2024
  • But traditional ideas about gender are proving stubborn in the virtual realm, starting with the AI assistants and their sycophantic feminine voices as well as those girls (French, tattooed, blonde) the app cooked up.
    Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 27 Nov. 2024
Definition of sycophantic
Verb
  • Employees of a store in the Aloha State were in for a slithering surprise after a two-foot snake was found inside a shipping container of Christmas trees sent to the island.
    Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Fox News, 22 Nov. 2024
  • The world's largest slithering snake is sure to send a tingle down your spine.
    Ashlyn Messier, Fox News, 12 Nov. 2024
Definition of slithering
Adjective
  • This vision reflects the influence of Reformed Reconstructionism, a theology that advocates for a Christian theocracy, where secular government is subservient to biblical law.
    Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
  • The loss of Syria as a reliable and subservient ally has likely irreparably damaged Iran’s proxy network, which Tehran viewed as a defensive wall protecting Iran and a way of fighting countries with more powerful conventional militaries, current and former U.S. officials said.
    Abigail Williams, NBC News, 9 Dec. 2024
Definition of subservient
Adjective
  • Her chef and housekeeper, Bruna (Alba Rohrwacher), is timid and worshipful but able to take quietly decisive action when necessary.
    Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 25 Nov. 2024
  • In a country given to worshipful talk of Founding Fathers, this is not a new subject on the political stage.
    Molly Fischer, The New Yorker, 1 Oct. 2024
Definition of worshipful
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.

Thesaurus Entries Near groveling

grovelers

groveling

grovels

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Cite this Entry

“Groveling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/groveling. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.

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