sycophant
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
- sycophancy noun
- sycophantic adjective
- sycophantical adjective
- sycophantically adverb
- sycophantish adjective
- sycophantishly adverb
- sycophantism noun
Etymology
Origin of sycophant
First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin sȳcophanta, from Greek sȳkophántēs “informer,” from sŷko(n) “fig” + phan- (stem of phaínein “to show”) + -tēs, agent noun suffix
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.
The sycophants bestowed with medals and presidential commendations.
From Los Angeles Times
When Hussein was deposed in Iraq, the military officers, Ba’ath Party loyalists and regime-tied sycophants who ruled the roost for nearly a quarter-century were forced to make do with an entirely new situation.
From Los Angeles Times
And it is all being fed by sycophants and henchmen who have created a self-reinforcing feedback loop.
From Salon
And while at first Oliver rules over a pack of sycophants, the power shifts.
From Los Angeles Times
Presley and Parker grew distant, as Presley insulated himself with sycophants and his behavior both on and offstage grew increasingly erratic.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
