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.
“A sycophant with no combat experience has to tell Xi what Xi wants to hear,” wrote Drew Thompson, a former Pentagon official who met Zhang when he visited the U.S. in 2012.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 8, 2026
Peeking over her shoulder at her notes, he tuts, “Doesn’t sycophant have an ‘o’?”
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 28, 2025
Then, referring to the man who has replaced him as premier, he adds "not like Li Qiang", who he describes as a sycophant.
From BBC • Nov. 2, 2023
It has led to an enviable career, an unenviable amount of scorn, and accusations of being, well, a sycophant who clings to one of the world’s most famous athletes.
From New York Times • Nov. 21, 2018
Jackie was no sycophant or whipping boy, as he’s been described by other writers.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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.
