Obsequious
Definition, Meaning & Examples
Pronunciation /əbˈsiːkwi.əs/ · Part of speech adjective
Quick meaning: Obsequious is an adjective meaning Excessively eager and attentive to please or to obey instructions; fawning, subservient, servile.
Meaning
Excessively eager and attentive to please or to obey instructions; fawning, subservient, servile.
More Meanings
- (archaic) Obedient; compliant with someone else's orders or wishes.
- (obsolete) Of or pertaining to obsequies, funereal.
Example Sentences
[…] the ſuruiuer bound / In filliall obligation for ſome tearme To doe obſequious ſorrowe […]
[S]he complained pettishly of the heat and the flies and at length of the walk, and reduced Robert to the antics of an obsequious dog.
Translation falls especially short of this conceit which carries the whole flamboyance of the Spanish language. It was intended as an obsequious flattery of the Condesa, and was untrue.
Personally I felt shy and uncomfortable at this obsequious adoration, and I read the same feeling in the faces of Lord John and Summerlee, but Challenger expanded like a flower in the sun.
Synonyms for obsequious
Depending on context, synonyms include fawning, ingratiating, servile, slavish, sycophantic, truckling.
Related Words
Related dictionary entries include bootlicking, sycophantic, toadyish, fawning, servile, insincere.
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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.