Meaning & use
sycophant
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Meaning
nouncountable
A person who flatters someone powerful or important in order to gain favor or advantage.
Grammar: Takes a plural: sycophants; often used with of or around for the person served.
Patterns
- a sycophant of someone
- sycophants around someone
- dismiss sycophants
The director was surrounded by sycophants who praised every decision.
Only one aide told him the truth; the rest were sycophants.
History books describe the court as full of sycophants seeking rewards.
Word forms
| plural | sycophants |
|---|
Common combinations
- shameless sycophant
- He dismissed the report as the work of a shameless sycophant.
- circle of sycophants
- A circle of sycophants can make a leader overconfident.
- surround oneself with sycophants
- Managers lose honest feedback when they surround themselves with sycophants.
- reward sycophants
- The novel shows a court that rewards sycophants and punishes critics.
Synonyms and how they differ
- flatterer
- Broader and milder; a flatterer may simply give praise, while a sycophant seeks advantage from power.
- toady
- Strongly negative and often more degrading, suggesting someone who serves obsequiously.
- bootlicker
- Informal and contemptuous; emphasizes excessive willingness to please authority.
- yes-man
- Focuses on always agreeing; a sycophant more specifically uses flattery for gain.
Word family
- sycophancy noun
- Insincere flattering behavior used to gain favor.
- sycophantic adjective
- Showing servile, self-interested flattery.
Commonly confused: sycophant or psychopath?
sycophant vs psychopath
Similar-looking start but unrelated: a sycophant seeks favor through flattery, while a psychopath has a serious personality disorder.
Practice
Choose the best word: The boardroom was full of ___ telling the CEO exactly what he wanted to hear.
Choose one answer.
Sycophants fit the idea of insincere flattery toward power; mentors advise, auditors check records, and rivals oppose rather than seek favor.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sycophant”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.