slavish
Americanadjective
-
of or befitting a slave.
slavish subjection.
-
being or resembling a slave; abjectly submissive.
He was slavish in his obedience.
- Synonyms:
- sycophantic
- Antonyms:
- independent
-
slavish fears.
- Antonyms:
- exalted
-
deliberately imitative; lacking originality.
a slavish reproduction.
adjective
-
of or befitting a slave
-
being or resembling a slave; servile
-
unoriginal; imitative
-
archaic ignoble
Synonym Usage
See servile.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of slavish
Explanation
Someone who's slavish is either overly meek and obedient or copies someone else instead of thinking for themselves. If you write your story in the style of Ernest Hemingway, your English teacher may accuse you of slavish imitation. In a dictatorship, rulers may expect citizens to be slavish, but in a democracy, no one should have to treat leaders in a slavish way. This meaning of slavish is the original 16th century one, from slave, "person who is the property of another person." The "servilely imitative, lacking originality or independence" meaning of slavish came later, around 1750.
Vocabulary lists containing slavish
The Merchant of Venice
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"Self-Reliance" by Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Gregor the Overlander
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Slavish fealty to the original does not good karaoke make!
From Slate • Sep. 17, 2020
Slavish obedience is one route for an executor, defiance for the sake of literature another.
From The Guardian • Mar. 10, 2018
Slavish devotion to source material and tossing curveballs for no reason both kill an adaptation – the whole process is a balancing act.
From The Guardian • Jan. 20, 2016
Most of the institutions that receive money will likely be in Western Pennsylvania, Slavish said, based on the foundation’s history of directing its giving to the region.
From Washington Times • Jul. 3, 2014
She remembered his “Good Perun” attempt at a greeting earlier when he had thought she was Slavish.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
