obsequious

American  

[uhb-see-kwee-uhs] / əbˈsi kwi əs /

adjective

1. characterized by or showing servile obedience and excessive eagerness to please; fawning; ingratiating.

   an obsequious bow;

   obsequious servants.

   Synonyms:

   submissive, deferential, subservient, servile, oleaginous, flattering

2. obedient; dutiful.

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obsequious British  

/ əbˈsiːkwɪəs /

adjective

1. obedient or attentive in an ingratiating or servile manner

2. rare submissive or compliant

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Related Words

See servile.

Other Word Forms

• obsequiously adverb
• obsequiousness noun
• overobsequious adjective
• overobsequiously adverb
• unobsequious adjective
• unobsequiously adverb

Etymology

Origin of obsequious

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin obsequiōsus, equivalent to obsequi(um) “compliance,” derivative of obsequ(ī) “to comply with” (equivalent to ob- + sequī “to follow”) + -ium + -ōsus; ob-, -ium, -ous

Example Sentences

But perhaps the most obsequious comment was, “Once the president makes a decision, it’s up to everybody who serves in his administration to make it as successful as possible.”

From Salon

Was this obsequious creature the terrible-voiced terror of the women’s wing?

From Literature

Mr. Landau may be a revered figure in the history of rock, but Mr. Cooper and Mr. Strong’s version of him reminded me of Paul Shaffer’s obsequious Artie Fufkin in “This Is Spinal Tap.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Vance was never the first choice for even that obsequious role.

From Salon

Last month's Nato summit in The Hague was an exercise in obsequious courtship.

From BBC