slavish

[sley-vish]

adjective

of or befitting a slave: slavish subjection.
being or resembling a slave; abjectly submissive: He was slavish in his obedience.
base; mean; ignoble: slavish fears.

deliberately imitative; lacking originality: a slavish reproduction.

Origin of slavish

First recorded in 1555–65; slave + -ish¹

Related formsslav·ish·ly, adverbslav·ish·ness, nouno·ver·slav·ish, adjectiveo·ver·slav·ish·ly, adverbo·ver·slav·ish·ness, noun

Synonyms

See more synonyms on Thesaurus.com

2. groveling, sycophantic, fawning, cringing. See servile.

Antonyms

2. independent. 3. exalted.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for slavishly

Contemporary Examples

He may want to emulate, sometimes almost slavishly, the late President François Mitterrand, his political godfather.
Obama: Pay Attention to Europe
Christopher Dickey
May 8, 2012
And for much of the early part of the 20th century, Americans were slavishly following French cooking.
Reichl’s Favorite Food Books
The Browser
August 11, 2011
The Alaskan continues her unmatched mastery of the press—getting them to slavishly follow her Tour to Nowhere.
How Palin's Winning the Media War
Matt Latimer
June 2, 2011

Historical Examples

Of course, I don't mean to say a player must slavishly do just as I tell him.
The Moving Picture Girls in War Plays
Laura Lee Hope
Phaedrus followed Aesop, but, as he affirms, not slavishly; i. prol.
The Student's Companion to Latin Authors
George Middleton
The Directors were too slavishly influenced by their emissaries, and each of them had his own plan.
Talleyrand
Joseph McCabe
He did not care for the small number who slavishly adhered to his commands.
History of the Jews, Vol. I (of 6)
Heinrich Graetz
This cannot be said of your intellectuals, who are so slavishly obedient to the commands of your rulers.
Above the Battle
Romain Rolland

British Dictionary definitions for slavishly

slavish

adjective

of or befitting a slave
being or resembling a slave; servile
unoriginal; imitative

archaic ignoble

Derived Formsslavishly, adverbslavishness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for slavishly

slavish

adj.

1560s, from slave (n.) + -ish. Sense of "servilely imitative, lacking originality or independence" is from 1753. Related: Slavishly; slavishness.

slavish

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}slavish

Synonyms

Antonyms

Examples from the Web for slavishly

Contemporary Examples

He may want to emulate, sometimes almost slavishly, the late President François Mitterrand, his political godfather.

And for much of the early part of the 20th century, Americans were slavishly following French cooking.

The Alaskan continues her unmatched mastery of the press—getting them to slavishly follow her Tour to Nowhere.

Historical Examples

Of course, I don't mean to say a player must slavishly do just as I tell him.

Phaedrus followed Aesop, but, as he affirms, not slavishly; i. prol.

The Directors were too slavishly influenced by their emissaries, and each of them had his own plan.

He did not care for the small number who slavishly adhered to his commands.

This cannot be said of your intellectuals, who are so slavishly obedient to the commands of your rulers.

slavish

Word Origin and History for slavishly

slavish

adj.

Origin of slavish