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

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How is the word servile distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of servile are obsequious, slavish, and subservient. While all these words mean "showing or characterized by extreme compliance or abject obedience," servile suggests the mean or fawning behavior of a slave.

a political boss and his entourage of servile hangers-on

When might obsequious be a better fit than servile?

While in some cases nearly identical to servile, obsequious implies fawning or sycophantic compliance and exaggerated deference of manner.

waiters who are obsequious in the presence of celebrities

When could slavish be used to replace servile?

The words slavish and servile can be used in similar contexts, but slavish suggests abject or debased servility.

the slavish status of migrant farm workers

When would subservient be a good substitute for servile?

In some situations, the words subservient and servile are roughly equivalent. However, subservient implies the cringing manner of one very conscious of a subordinate position.

domestic help was expected to be properly subservient

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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for servile
Adjective
  • Sometimes those simple, humble, short-on-ingredients dishes are some of our most cherished.
    Nellah Bailey McGough, Southern Living, 22 Mar. 2025
  • Articulate yet humble in interviews, Coleman is the ultimate team player on the court and the biggest supporter of his teammates off it.
    Matt Le Cren, Chicago Tribune, 21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The Old Lady have underperformed for much of the campaign, and their meek exit from the Champions League at the hands of PSV Eindhoven increased the scrutiny on Motta, who’s only been in the job since last June.
    Emmet Gates, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
  • The column was, if anything, meek to the point of embarrassing.
    Ruth Marcus, The New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Our generosity as a nation extended to those who suffered in other parts of the world, even as millions of people were lifted from abject poverty.
    Linda Chapin, Orlando Sentinel, 9 Mar. 2025
  • Your inability to establish a rational, functional and legal system of immigration is an abject failure on your part.
    Peter Cunningham, Chicago Tribune, 4 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • 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
  • So we’re introduced to Joseph, freshly fired from a menial job and stepping into a world that doesn’t want him.
    Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 5 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Servile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/servile. Accessed 29 Mar. 2025.

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