slavish

[sley-vish]

adjective

1. of or befitting a slave.

   slavish subjection.

2. being or resembling a slave; abjectly submissive.

   He was slavish in his obedience.

   Synonyms: sycophantic
   Antonyms: independent

3. base; mean; ignoble.

   slavish fears.

   Antonyms: exalted

4. deliberately imitative; lacking originality.

   a slavish reproduction.

slavish

/ ˈsleɪvɪʃ /

adjective

1. of or befitting a slave

2. being or resembling a slave; servile

3. unoriginal; imitative

4. archaic,  ignoble

Other Word Forms

• slavishly adverb
• slavishness noun
• overslavish adjective
• overslavishly adverb
• overslavishness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of slavish¹

First recorded in 1555–65; slave + -ish ¹

Synonym Study

See servile.

Example Sentences

This strange dichotomy between licentious freedom and slavish obedience is an implicit bargain between Trump and his followers.

From Salon

Their manifesto urged people to “hang up on the pollsters who are polluting our political environment by dominating media coverage, influencing election outcomes, and turning our political leaders into slavish poll followers.”

From Los Angeles Times

While I like the movies a lot, I don’t have a slavish devotion to them.

From Los Angeles Times

As everyone knows, Donald Trump admires Vladimir Putin, and so a large portion of the Republican Party admires Putin in an imitative and slavish manner.

From Salon

De Palma’s slavish emulation of Hitchcock runs through numerous films, and with notable specificity.

From Los Angeles Times