Adjacent Words

Sycophant definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

SYC'OPHANT, n. [Gr. a fig, and to discover.] Originally, an informer against those who stole figs, or exported them contrary to law, etc. Hence in time it came to signify a talebearer or informer, in general; hence, a parasite; a mean flatterer; especially a flatterer of princes and great men; hence, a deceiver; an impostor. Its most general use is in the sense of an obsequious flatterer or parasite.
SYC'OPHANT

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a person who tries to please someone in order to gain a personal advantage [syn: sycophant, toady, crawler, lackey, ass-kisser]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Latin sycophanta slanderer, swindler, from Greek sykophant?s slanderer, from sykon fig + phainein to show — more at fancy Date: 1575 a servile self-seeking flatterer Synonyms: see parasite • sycophant adjective

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. a servile flatterer; a toady. Derivatives: sycophancy n. sycophantic adj. sycophantically adv. Etymology: F sycophante or L sycophanta f. Gk sukophantes informer f. sukon fig + phaino show: the reason for the name is uncert., and association with informing against the illegal exportation of figs from ancient Athens (recorded by Plutarch) cannot be substantiated

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Sycophant Syc"o*phant, n. [L. sycophanta a slanderer, deceiver, parasite, Gr. ? a false accuser, false adviser, literally, a fig shower; ? a fig + ? to show: cf. F. sycophante. The reason for the name is not certainly known. See Phenomenon.] 1. An informer; a talebearer. [Obs.] ``Accusing sycophants, of all men, did best sort to his nature.'' --Sir P. Sidney. 2. A base parasite; a mean or servile flatterer; especially, a flatterer of princes and great men. A sycophant will everything admire: Each verse, each sentence, sets his soul on fire. --Dryden.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Sycophant Syc"o*phant, v. t. [CF. L. sycophantari to deceive, to trick, Gr. ?.] 1. To inform against; hence, to calumniate. [Obs.] Sycophanting and misnaming the work of his adversary. --Milton. 2. To play the sycophant toward; to flatter obsequiously.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Sycophant Syc"o*phant, v. i. To play the sycophant.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(sycophants) A sycophant is a person who behaves in a sycophantic way. (FORMAL) ...a dictator surrounded by sycophants, frightened to tell him what he may not like. N-COUNT [disapproval]

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. Parasite, fawner, toady, wheedler, flunky, spaniel, lick-spittle, pick-thank, toad-eater, time-server, hanger-on, mean flatterer.

Moby Thesaurus

adherent, adulator, apple-polisher, ass-licker, backscratcher, backslapper, blarneyer, bootlick, bootlicker, bootlicking, brown-nose, brownie, cajoler, clawback, courtier, cowering, creature, cringer, cringing, disciple, dummy, dupe, fawner, figurehead, flatterer, flunky, follower, footlicker, gillie, goon, gopher, groveler, groveling, handshaker, hanger-on, helot, henchman, instrument, jackal, kowtower, kowtowing, lackey, led captain, lickspit, lickspittle, man, mealymouth, minion, myrmidon, parasitic, peon, puppet, reptile, satellite, self-seeker, serf, slave, snob, spaniel, stooge, suck, thug, timeserver, toad, toadeater, toady, toadying, toadyish, tool, truckler, truckling, tufthunter, votary, wheedler, yes-man