servile
[ sur-vil, -vahyl ]
/ ˈsɜr vɪl, -vaɪl /
adjective
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transliterate
Origin of servile
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin servīlis, equivalent to serv- (stem of servīre to be a slave) + -īlis -ile
SYNONYMS FOR servile
1, 2 cringing, sycophantic. Servile, menial, obsequious, slavish characterize one who behaves like a slave or an inferior. Servile suggests cringing, fawning, and abject submission: servile responses to questions. Menial applies to that which is considered undesirable drudgery: the most menial tasks. Obsequious implies the ostentatious subordination of oneself to the wishes of another, either from fear or from hope of gain: an obsequious waiter. Slavish stresses the dependence and labori-ous toil of one who follows or obeys without question: slavish attentiveness to orders.
2 mean, base, low.
OTHER WORDS FROM servile
Words nearby servile
serviceperson, services, servicewoman, servient tenement, serviette, servile, servile work, serving, servite, servitor, servitude
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for servility
British Dictionary definitions for servility
servile
/ (ˈsɜːvaɪl) /
adjective
obsequious or fawning in attitude or behaviour; submissive
of or suitable for a slave
existing in or relating to a state of slavery
(when postpositive, foll by to) submitting or obedient
Derived forms of servile
servilely, adverbservility (sɜːˈvɪlɪtɪ) or servileness, nounWord Origin for servile
C14: from Latin servīlis, from servus slave
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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