as in subordinate
disapproving
too eager to help or obey someone important
She's constantly followed by obsequious assistants who will do anything she tells them to.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of obsequious
There were cover stories on him and obsequious profiles.
—
Cory Franklin, Twin Cities, 2 Jan. 2025
Schulz is obsequious, either chummily laughing along to whatever is being said or clearly waiting for his turn to talk.
—Jesse David Fox, Vulture, 11 Oct. 2024
What was criminal in the eyes of Putin and occasioned Navalny’s death was his work exposing the tyrant, his obsequious oligarchs and lickspittle party United Russia as crooks, thieves and killers.
—Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 15 Nov. 2024
Sunny initially speaks in an obsequious ChatGPT-generic tone, but the robot gradually adopts Suzie’s speech patterns, softening Suzie’s initial skepticism.
—Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for obsequious
Cory Franklin, Twin Cities, 2 Jan. 2025
Schulz is obsequious, either chummily laughing along to whatever is being said or clearly waiting for his turn to talk.
—Jesse David Fox, Vulture, 11 Oct. 2024
What was criminal in the eyes of Putin and occasioned Navalny’s death was his work exposing the tyrant, his obsequious oligarchs and lickspittle party United Russia as crooks, thieves and killers.
—Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 15 Nov. 2024
Sunny initially speaks in an obsequious ChatGPT-generic tone, but the robot gradually adopts Suzie’s speech patterns, softening Suzie’s initial skepticism.
—Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for obsequious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obsequious
Adjective
-
In China, for example, the constitution states that everything in the governmental system, including the courts, is subordinate to the leadership of the Communist Party.—
Daniel R. Depetris,
Newsweek,
25 Mar. 2025
-
The email was addressed to all subordinate commanders, and the subject line read in all capital letters: URGENT SAFETY OF FLIGHT ISSUE.—
Greg Wehner,
Fox News,
15 Nov. 2024
Adjective
-
In this framing, children are not autonomous individuals worthy of respect, but future standard-bearers of their parents’ values—which means that the greatest sign of a mother’s success is producing obedient children.—
Hannah Giorgis,
The Atlantic,
31 Mar. 2025
-
His oxygen tank sat at his knees like an obedient mastiff.—
Brandon Taylor,
The Atlantic,
4 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The twist offered in this tale is that this dutiful and obedient AI proceeds to gobble up all the available resources on earth to maximally achieve this goal.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
4 Apr. 2025
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In wartime, it’s thought dutiful rather than unnatural to leave your family for the sake of a cause.—
Sigal Samuel,
Vox,
6 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
So Alex dons a uniform, buses tables and engages in servile labor for the first time in her life.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
23 Mar. 2025
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Trump’s servile devotion to Putin becomes the new norm overnight as Republicans cower in support of Trump’s new Putin policy.—
Bob Kustra,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Obsequious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obsequious. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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