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toady

[ toh-dee ]
/ ˈtoʊ di /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR toady ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural toad·ies.

an obsequious flatterer; sycophant.

verb (used with object), toad·ied, toad·y·ing.

to be the toady to.

verb (used without object), toad·ied, toad·y·ing.

to be a toady.

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RELATED WORDS

kowtow, flatter, woo, stroke, oil, cajole, bootlick, massage, truckle, apple-polish

Nearby words

  1. toadfish,
  2. toadflax,
  3. toadshade,
  4. toadstone,
  5. toadstool,
  6. toamasina,
  7. toast,
  8. toast rack,
  9. toaster,
  10. toaster oven

Origin of toady

First recorded in 1680–90; toad + -y2
Related formstoad·y·ish, adjectivetoad·y·ism, nounun·toad·y·ing, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for toadying

British Dictionary definitions for toadying

toady

/ (ˈtəʊdɪ) /

noun plural toadies

a person who flatters and ingratiates himself or herself in a servile way; sycophant

verb toadies, toadying or toadied

to fawn on and flatter (someone)
Derived Formstoadyish, adjectivetoadyism, noun

Word Origin for toady

C19: shortened from toadeater
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for toadying

toady

n.

"servile parasite," 1826, apparently shortened from toad-eater "fawning flatterer" (1742), originally referring to the assistant of a charlatan, who ate a toad (believed to be poisonous) to enable his master to display his skill in expelling the poison (1620s). The verb is recorded from 1827. Related: Toadied; toadying.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper