obsequious

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Definitions (9)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. adjective Full of or exhibiting servile compliance; fawning.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (5)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (1)

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Examples

  • He is at once vain and obsequious, servile and spiteful, professing candor and practising adulation, prolix and prosaic. —  Josephus
  • Among others we find a contemporary Tiziano Vecelli, who is a lawyer of note concerned in the administration of Cadore, keeping up a kind of obsequious friendship with his famous cousin at Venice. —  The Earlier Work of Titian
  • She wouldn't wait at home like an obedient, obsequious, good little wife until he returned. —  The Witness
  • He was neither brazen nor obsequious, but was matter-of-factly asking a simple question and expecting a simple reply. —  Galactic Patrol
  • Pit chef Jeremy: obsequious, a bit effusive. —  Destiny's Road
 

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Obsequious has been looked up 1115 times, favorited 14 times, listed 197 times, and commented on once.

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Related

Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Allen's Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

deferential ·  servile ·  submissive ·  abject ·  respectful ·  apologetic ·  fawn ·  attentive ·  reverential ·  humble ·  courtly ·  officious
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English, from Latin obsequiōsus, from obsequium, compliance, from obsequī, to comply : ob-, to; see ob- + sequī, to follow; see sekw-1 in Indo-European roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. Early modern English obsequyous; from Old French obsequieux, French obséquieux = Spanish Portuguese obsequioso = Italian ossequioso, from Latin obsequiosus, compliant, submissive, from obsequium, compliance: see obsequy.
  2. from obsequy + -ous, after obsequious.
 

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/əbˈsikwɪəs/
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