as in humble
showing, expressing, or offered in a spirit of humility or unseemly submissiveness
had always maintained a servile attitude around people with money
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 servile
That this was news was hard to believe, since complaints about servile female voices had been made not for years but for decades.
—
Jill Lepore, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2024
Some Hawaiian cultural experts say aloha is a complex and fluid idea, too often misconstrued as a sweet and servile way of tolerating visitors.
—Jenny Jarvie, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2023
Arriving at Egg Island sporting bohemian attire and a distinctly non-deferent attitude, Monk swiftly arouses the suspicions of Horton and his stuffy, servile housekeeper Mrs. McMurray (Kristine Nielsen).
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 16 Sep. 2023
The statue features a godlike Lincoln astride a kneeling, formerly enslaved man in a loincloth — his servile gratitude could not be more apparent.
—Peter Marks, Washington Post, 15 Sep. 2023
See All Example Sentences for servile
Jill Lepore, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2024
Some Hawaiian cultural experts say aloha is a complex and fluid idea, too often misconstrued as a sweet and servile way of tolerating visitors.
—Jenny Jarvie, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2023
Arriving at Egg Island sporting bohemian attire and a distinctly non-deferent attitude, Monk swiftly arouses the suspicions of Horton and his stuffy, servile housekeeper Mrs. McMurray (Kristine Nielsen).
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 16 Sep. 2023
The statue features a godlike Lincoln astride a kneeling, formerly enslaved man in a loincloth — his servile gratitude could not be more apparent.
—Peter Marks, Washington Post, 15 Sep. 2023
See All Example Sentences for servile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for servile
Adjective
-
On Friday, South Korea’s former President was forced to eat the humble variety after his impeachment over an earlier martial law declaration was unanimously confirmed by the nation’s Constitutional Court.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
4 Apr. 2025
-
Popeyes Pickle Menu Taste Test To be thorough, associate editor (and humble pickle fan) Bryce Jones sampled everything to see if the brine truly does shine.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
One of the film’s most tragic figures is Fred’s meek and traumatized young widow (Norah Mwansa), who is treated abominably by Shula’s aunts.—
Justin Chang,
The New Yorker,
7 Mar. 2025
-
The series stars Purnell (Yellowjackets, Sweetbitter) as Rhiannon Lewis, a meek newspaper-office receptionist who was mercilessly bullied in high school.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
3 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
But there’s something abject about taking up such a fraught subject, wringing every ounce of suspense and dramatic potential out of it, and then backing away as though Tim’s arc is just another story of sad enlightenment.—
Sophie Gilbert,
The Atlantic,
8 Apr. 2025
-
Later, the abject widow is found huddled with her relatives in the pale curve of an empty swimming pool, a glowing charcoal imbaula nearby to keep them warm.—
Namwali Serpell,
The New Yorker,
25 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The Elon University report further calls into question promises from tech giants that the value of AI will be in automating rote, menial tasks so that humans can spend more time on complex, creative pursuits.—
Clare Duffy,
CNN Money,
2 Apr. 2025
-
Then there are startups like $1.9 billion Writer AI, which makes AI services to automate menial business tasks, and $1.3 billion Clay, makers of AI spreadsheet tools for companies to organize and suss out sales leads.—
Richard Nieva,
Forbes.com,
26 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Servile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/servile. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share