Fawning
Definition, Meaning & Examples
Pronunciation /fɔːnɪŋ/ · Part of speech verb
Quick meaning: Fawning is a verb meaning present participle and gerund of fawn.
Meaning
present participle and gerund of fawn.
More Meanings
- Seeking favor by way of flattery; flattering, servile.
- Servile flattery.
Example Sentences
Shylock: How like a fawning publican he looks ![…]
Hamlet: No, let the candied tongue lick absurd pomp, And crook the pregnant hinges of the knee Where thrift may follow fawning.
Xantippus found his ruin ere it reached him, Lurking behind your honours and rewards; Found it in your feigned courtesies and fawnings.
That the young Mr. Churchills liked—but they did not like him coming round of an evening and drinking weak whisky-and-water while he held forth on railway debentures and corporation loans. Mr. Barrett, however, by fawning and flattery, seemed to be able to make not only Mrs. Churchill but everyone else do what he desired.
Word Forms
- fawnings
Synonyms for fawning
Depending on context, synonyms include obsequious, insincere, sycophantic, bootlicking, toadyish.
Related Words
Related dictionary entries include toadyish, sycophantic, bootlicking, obsequious, insincere, flattersome.
Related Dictionary Tools
Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.