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.
They learned that there was no way to avoid that short of total servility and deference.
From Salon ● May 12, 2023
The abject servility with which Pierce’s Willy rushes to retrieve the lighter that Howard has dropped on the floor, speaks volumes about powerlessness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2022
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
This process has a number of steps — the stages of servility.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 26, 2019
I could no longer pretend, fawn or wear the mask of servility, without my true self violently rebelling.
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
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.
