grovel

[gruhv-uhl, grov-]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR grovel ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), grov·eled, grov·el·ing or (especially British) grov·elled, grov·el·ling.

to humble oneself or act in an abject manner, as in great fear or utter servility.

to lie or crawl with the face downward and the body prostrate, especially in abject humility, fear, etc.

to take pleasure in mean or base things.

Origin of grovel

1585–95; back formation from obsolete groveling (adv.), equivalent to obsolete grufe face down (< Old Norse ā grūfu face down) + -ling², taken to be present participle

Related formsgrov·el·er; especially British, grov·el·ler, noungrov·el·ing·ly; especially British, grov·el·ling·ly, adverbun·grov·el·ing, adjectiveun·grov·el·ling, adjective

Can be confusedgavel gravel grovel

Synonyms for grovel

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR grovel ON THESAURUS.COM

1. truckle, toady, fawn, kowtow, pander.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for groveling

Contemporary Examples of groveling

Whatever happened to the groveling apology and the second chance . . . the kind of forgiving spirit that made America great?
North Dakota Television Station Fires Brand-New Anchor Over Accidental On-Air Profanity
Megan McArdle
April 22, 2013
A mortified Phillips, from Belfast, wrote a groveling apology in response.
Royal Cover-Up as Prince of Wales Shoots Owl (In 1896)
Tom Sykes
February 27, 2013
A consummate Wall Street creature, the pathetic, groveling Paulson knew what would happen without a bailout.
Will Stocks Dive Again?
Randall Lane
May 11, 2010
The sort of groveling one imagines taking place is repulsive to consider.
'Mom, Dad—I Need $96K'
Kathleen Parker
July 10, 2009

Historical Examples of groveling

He grabbed the groveling butcher and hoisted him from his wallow.
Louisiana Lou
William West Winter
How groveling must be the ignorance which can be thus blinded!
Aztec Land
Maturin M. Ballou
They had not the low and groveling spirit which usually incites mobs.
Masterpieces of Negro Eloquence
Various
If in that moment she appeared a groveling thing, it was only for a moment.
The Blue Wall
Richard Washburn Child
At every step she had to purchase silence by groveling humility.
Germinie Lacerteux
Edmond and Jules de Goncourt

British Dictionary definitions for groveling

grovel

verb -els, -elling or -elled or US -els, -eling or -eled (intr)

to humble or abase oneself, as in making apologies or showing respect

to lie or crawl face downwards, as in fear or humility

(often foll by in) to indulge or take pleasure (in sensuality or vice)

Derived Formsgroveller, noungrovelling, noun, adjectivegrovellingly, adverb

Word Origin for grovel

C16: back formation from obsolete groveling (adv), from Middle English on grufe on the face, of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Norse ā grūfu, from grūfa prone position; see -ling ²

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 groveling

grovel

1590s, Shakespearian back-formation of groveling (Middle English), regarded as a present participle but really an adverb, from Old Norse grufe "prone" + obsolete adverbial suffix -ling (which survives also as the -long in headlong, sidelong); first element from Old Norse a grufu "on proneness." Perhaps related to creep. Related: Groveled; grovelled; groveling; grovelling.