servile
[ sur-vil, -vahyl ]
/ ˈsɜr vɪl, -vaɪl /
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adjective
OTHER WORDS FOR servile
1, 2 cringing, sycophantic.
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Origin of servile
synonym study for servile
1, 2. 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.
OTHER WORDS FROM servile
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use servile in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for servile
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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