obsequiousness
Americannoun
Usage
What is obsequiousness? Obsequiousness is the act of making your wishes secondary to someone else’s wishes, as in The loyal butler was noted for his undying obsequiousness to his employer. Obsequiousness describes a situation in which a person obediently serves someone else and is eager to please them. Obsequiousness is not a commonly used word. People instead use words with similar meanings (and easier spellings), such as devotion, veneration, deference, or submission. The word obsequiousness comes from the adjective obsequious, which describes someone demonstrating obedience and eagerness to please, as in The duchess had a team of obsequious servants. Example: Selvon’s obsequiousness to the decadent earl ensured his long employment as a butler.
Other Word Forms
- overobsequiousness noun
- unobsequiousness noun
Etymology
Origin of obsequiousness
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.
I would assume that some of them will gain his favor with elaborate obsequiousness and flamboyant flattery.
From Salon • Apr. 4, 2025
If you do come, though, he’ll also certainly mock you in private for your excessive obsequiousness.
From Slate • May 18, 2024
In the beginning of the ’90s, when he’s hit with the steroid scandal and other scandals, his response is this little bit of obsequiousness.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 29, 2023
The film was a New York Times Critic's Pick, with Janet Maslin writing that Damon played the role “with a fine, tricky mix of obsequiousness and ruthlessness.”
From New York Times • Oct. 5, 2019
She hearkened little to the insinuations of flattery or the curtseys of obsequiousness, but returned all idle, pretty chatter in its own coin.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
