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obsequence

American

[ob-si-kwuhns] / ˈɒb sɪ kwəns /

Also obsequeence

noun

willingness or eagerness to comply, please, serve, etc.; obsequiousness.

Etymology

Origin of obsequence

1595–1605; < Latin obsequentia, equivalent to obsequent-, stem of obsequēns present participle of obsequī to comply with ( obsequious ) + -ia -ia

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.

It's nice to see a city that refuses to be bulldozed by the NFL bully into destroying neighborhoods, floating bonds, and in general, bowing obsequence to a group that is becoming more and more noted for its crimes, lawlessness, and danger, than sport.

From New York Times

Beginning with his hardscrabble boyhood on a Texas farm, he has been irresistibly drawn to wealth and power and has managed, by an adroit mixture of dash and obsequence, to gain both.

From Time Magazine Archive

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023