obsequious
[ uhb-see-kwee-uhs ]
/ əbˈsi kwi əs /
adjective
characterized by or showing servile complaisance or deference; fawning: an obsequious bow.
servilely compliant or deferential: obsequious servants.
obedient; dutiful.
RELATED CONTENT
RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
- obsecration,
- obsequence,
- obsequent,
- obsequent stream,
- obsequies,
- obsequy,
- observable,
- observance,
- observant,
- observation
Origin of obsequious
SYNONYMS FOR obsequious
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for obsequiously
obsequious
/ (əbˈsiːkwɪəs) /
adjective
obedient or attentive in an ingratiating or servile manner
rare submissive or compliant
Word Origin for obsequious
C15: from Latin obsequiōsus compliant, from obsequium compliance, from obsequi to follow, from ob- to + sequi to follow
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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obsequious
late 15c., "prompt to serve," from Middle French obséquieux (15c.), from Latin obsequiosus "compliant, obedient," from obsequium "compliance, dutiful service," from obsequi "to accommodate oneself to the will of another," from ob "after" (see ob-) + sequi "to follow" (see sequel). Pejorative sense of "fawning, sycophantic" had emerged by 1590s. Related: Obsequiously; obsequiousness (mid-15c.).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper