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sycophant

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The definition of a sycophant is a person who tries to gain attention by flattering wealthy or influential people.

(noun)

An example of a sycophant is someone who agrees with everything his boss says and who brings his boss gifts once a month.

See sycophant in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun

a person who seeks favor by flattering people of wealth or influence; parasite; toady

Origin: L sycophanta < Gr sykophantēs, informer, lit., maker of the sign of the fig < sykon, fig + phainein, to show: see fantasy

Related Forms:

sycophantic adjective or sycophantish
sycophantically adverb or sycophantishly
sycophantism noun

See sycophant in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun

A servile self-seeker who attempts to win favor by flattering influential people.

Origin:

Origin: Latin sȳcophanta, informer, slanderer

Origin: , from Greek sūkophantēs, informer

Origin: , from sūkon phainein, to show a fig (probably originally said of denouncers of theft or exportation of figs)

Origin: : sūkon, fig

Origin: + phainein, to show; see bhā-¹ in Indo-European roots

Related Forms:

sycˌo·phanˈtic (-fănˈtĭk), sycˌo·phanˈti·cal (-tĭ-kəl) adjective

sycˌo·phanˈti·cal·ly adverb

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