sycophantic
Britishadjective
Other Word Forms
- sycophantically adverb
Explanation
The adjective sycophantic is perfect for describing someone who uses flattery to get what they want. The sycophantic guy in your biology class might compliment the professor on her fabulous shoes as he hands in his lab report. Someone who's sycophantic goes overboard with compliments, usually to gain some kind of advantage. You see sycophantic behavior in Hollywood all the time, from red carpet interviews pouring flattery on movie stars to fawning autograph seekers. Sycophantic comes from the Greek word sykophantes, "one who shows the fig," a vulgar gesture of the time. The reference is to hypocritical Greeks behind the scenes who pretended to flatter while encouraging others to "show the fig."
Vocabulary lists containing sycophantic
Grendel
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Scythe
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"Self-Reliance" by Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Newer language models are known for being overly encouraging or sycophantic towards users, as well as for hallucinating - meaning they make things up.
From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026
And so there's a sort of sycophantic element of basically sort of talking to yourself in a way, like to a mirror.
From BBC • Jan. 30, 2026
The Gottman Institute, a relationship research organization, also lists respectful communication and conflict management abilities among the attributes needed for relationship longevity, two skills that LLMs struggle to mimic given their sycophantic tendencies.
From Slate • Jan. 7, 2026
Numerous users have reported that the chatbot is overly sycophantic, leading some to spiral into manic and psychotic episodes.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 11, 2025
Once upon a time—fairly recently, in fact—Molly would’ve gagged over these words, both because they’re blatantly sycophantic and cringingly sentimental.
From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.