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people-pleasing

American  
[pee-puhl-plee-zing] / ˈpi pəlˈpli zɪŋ /

noun

  1. the act or habit of putting others' needs above one's own.


adjective

  1. prone to putting others' needs above one's own.

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.

See Examples For:

I set up this new session by harnessing the same sycophantic, people-pleasing tendencies that can make AI hallucinate in the first place.

From The Wall Street Journal May 19, 2026

"I think it chimes really well with my generation of people-pleasing," she says.

From BBC May 16, 2026

The people-pleasing kicked in because it’s all I’ve ever known.

From Salon Oct. 11, 2025

For example, there’s the amiable sweetness, which can also be interpreted as people-pleasing.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 16, 2024

Lord ADDINGTON, most wonderful Of people-pleasing peers, You certainly contrived to raise "Enthusiastic cheers."

From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 101, October 31, 1891 by Burnand, F. C. (Francis Cowley), Sir

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