Meaning & use
fawning
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Meaning
adjectivecomparable
Trying too hard to win someone's approval by flattering them or being overly eager to please.
Grammar: Usually before a noun: a fawning assistant; less often after be.
The minister was surrounded by fawning aides who agreed with everything.
She was tired of the fawning articles written about the star.
His fawning manner made everyone uncomfortable.
Word forms
| comparative | more fawning |
|---|---|
| superlative | most fawning |
Common combinations
- fawning praise
- The review was full of fawning praise.
- fawning admirers
- He was followed by fawning admirers.
- fawning coverage
- The paper gave the mayor fawning coverage.
- fawning attention
- She disliked the fawning attention.
Synonyms and how they differ
- obsequious
- More formal and stresses servile, bowing behavior toward someone of higher rank.
- sycophantic
- Stresses flattery given for personal gain.
- servile
- Describes slave-like obedience more than flattering words.
- gushing
- Overly enthusiastic, but not always insincere.
Opposites
Word family
- fawn verb
- to flatter excessively, usually with over
- fawningly adverb
- in an overly flattering way
Commonly confused: fawning or faun?
fawning vs faun
A faun is a creature from Roman myth, half goat and half man; sound is the same as fawn.
Practice
The critic's ___ review praised every scene of the film without a single complaint.
Choose one answer.
Fawning describes excessive, insincere-sounding praise. The other adjectives do not describe a review's tone.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “fawning”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.