servility
Americannoun
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the quality of being slavishly submissive or fawning.
The place was full of florists and decorators, all striving to outdo each other in servility to the bride-to-be.
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the quality of being extremely imitative or unoriginal, especially in the arts.
Servility to a French European tradition may explain why these 19th-century poets failed to leave a mark on French Canada’s literary history.
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the state or condition of being a slave or servant.
Under Guru Nanak, a people who had lived for centuries in total servility became valiant warriors against their oppressors.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of servility
First recorded in 1525–35; servil(e) ( def. ) + -ity ( def. )
Vocabulary lists containing servility
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.
By arming her mammies with revolvers, rifles and bullets, Saar turned a symbol of servility into one of militancy and power.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
They don’t like the rough way the Stork treats Balram, whose practiced servility makes them a little uncomfortable.
From New York Times ● Jan. 21, 2021
Menial piecework tasks, parceled out through apps that force workers into 12-hour days in the hopes they can eke out a living through a lifetime of endless servility.
From Salon ● Jan. 7, 2020
This process has a number of steps — the stages of servility.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 26, 2019
In fact, he enjoyed the worm’s-eye view that servility offered to him.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
