fawning 1 of 3

adjective

Definition of fawningnext
as in obsequious

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fawning

2 of 3

noun

as in sycophancy

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Dissimilar Words

fawning

3 of 3

verb

present participle of fawn
as in fussing
to use flattery or the doing of favors in order to win approval especially from a superior a student who could not wait to fawn over the new teacher

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fawning
Noun
Experts say that fawning is a stress response that some teens use to appease the people around them. — Sherri Gordon, Parents, 5 July 2026 The fawning didn’t get him very far. — Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 15 May 2026
Verb
Soon, the president of the United States (John Goodman) and his cabinet of fawning nitwits come to Casa Digger — because that’s how powerful Digger is — to plan the response. — David MacK, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2026 His stature will prevent draftniks from fawning over him, and even opponents aren’t immune to underestimating him in person. — Antonio Morales, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026 Naturally, the Venice Film Festival was swiftly fawning over George Clooney on Wednesday, as the Oscar-winning star arrived (via boat, of course) to pick up his Golden Lion Lifetime Achievement Award. — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026 But in recent years, Romo has been criticized for his preparation, for cutting off Nantz mid-sentence, for fawning over Josh Allen and other quarterbacks and for seeming pollyannish at times. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 24 Aug. 2026 That’s a potentially lucrative space as Europe ramps up military spending, but not one engineered for fawning praise from the White House. — Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 20 Aug. 2026 In Agamemnon’s memory, Clytemnestra is as soft as Helen is hard, as fawning as Helen is resentful. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 29 July 2026 Fuentes enjoyed a brief flare of mainstream publicity last year, culminating in a fawning interview with former Republican kingmaker and broadcaster Tucker Carlson. — Will Carless, USA Today, 10 July 2026 In recent weeks, Silicon Valley has been fawning over an AI model released by a lab in China. — Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 7 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fawning
  1. obsequious
  2. sycophancy
  3. fussing
  4. servile
  5. adoration
  6. drooling
  7. slavish
  8. worship
Adjective
  • For instance, Democrats like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have become openly obsequious in sucking up to the DSA.
    — Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 20 Aug. 2026
  • As a friend — her friends all know that Bobbi was singular — ever thoughtful, never obsequious, sometimes obstinate, always honest.
    — Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 6 July 2026
Definition of obsequious
Noun
  • Anthropic has conducted studies on its models’ undesirable behaviors, such as disempowerment and sycophancy.
    — Matthew Sun, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Anthropic's own researchers reached a similar conclusion in a paper presented at ICLR in 2024, finding that training on human preferences does not remove sycophancy and can encourage it, and that five leading assistants showed it consistently.
    — Boaz Sobrado, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of sycophancy
Verb
  • Similar to Egypt after its collapse earlier in the week, Switzerland exited fussing about the officiating.
    — Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 12 July 2026
  • Yes, teaching by example is often a better way of handling a challenge than fussing about it.
    — Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 17 June 2026
Definition of fussing
Adjective
  • Both appeared on stage in character as VP Selina Meyer and her servile assistant, Gary Walsh.
    — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Unfortunately, Trump takes servile flattery as his due.
    — Robert Kagan, The Atlantic, 19 June 2026
Definition of servile
Noun
  • And yet, when Szumowska and Englert portray Fyodor’s reaction to the couple’s pregnancy, the birth of their child, and a subsequent tragedy, Anna’s adoration for this utterly flawed man almost feels justified.
    — Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
  • So, too, do the antics of his estate manager (a buoyant Sam Adegoke), always concocting money-making schemes, and the wide-eyed adoration of the girl next door (Amelia Mason, deftly balancing naïveté with seductiveness), who wants to save him.
    — Rhoda Feng, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of adoration
Verb
  • There was one of Melissa Gorga’s sprinkle cookies ground into the carpet, and there was Kelsey Swanson, passed out under the piano and drooling on the parquet.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Typical letdown game for a Florida team the national media just spent a week drooling over.
    — Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of drooling
Adjective
  • The president is more concerned with rewarding slavish loyalty than supporting electability.
    — Laura Washington, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Because slavish inferiority did not befit his spirit.
    — Ann Manov, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026
Definition of slavish
Noun
  • Hegseth has infused his evangelical Christianity into his leadership of the Pentagon, hosting Christian worship services for employees and often speaking of the United States as a Christian nation.
    — Tiffany Stanley, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
  • For the first time in 25 years, the number of people attending in-person worship in the US has increased, according to a new study from the Hartford Institute for Religion Research.
    — John Blake, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of worship

Browse Nearby Words

fawners
fawning
fawns
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Cite this Entry

“Fawning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fawning. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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