sycophantic
pronunciation
How to pronounce sycophantic in British English:
UK [ˌsɪkə'fæntɪk]
How to pronounce sycophantic in American English:
US [ˌsɪkə'fæntɪk]
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- Adjective:
- attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery
Word Origin
- sycophantic (adj.)
- 1670s, from Greek sykophantikos, from sykophantes (see sycophant). Related: Sycophantical (1560s).
Example
- 1. He hadn 't expected an assistant as sycophantic as this one .
- 2. I assumed this was rhetorical waggery so offered that obligatory journalistic reply : the sycophantic laugh .
- 3. He says the officials who wield such power over the artistic sphere are not considered important in the bureaucracy and so tend to be conservative and sycophantic .
- 4. A north korean announcer says what he calls lee myung-bak 's sycophantic approach to the united states and confrontational approach to north korea are entirely to blame for the current stall in north-south relations .
- 5. Relationships with these kinds of sycophantic , ass-kissing hangers-on are strictly a one-way street , with them always leeching off of you in one way or another and saying whatever they have to say to stay in your good graces . You help them , but they don 't help you .