sycophantic

adjective

sy·​co·​phan·​tic ˌsi-kə-ˈfan-tik How to pronounce sycophantic (audio)
also ˌsī-
Synonyms of sycophantic
: of, relating to, or characteristic of a sycophant : fawning, obsequious
sycophantic compliments
sycophantically adverb

Examples of sycophantic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
After all, humans often communicate with each other in sycophantic ways. Cody Turner, The Conversation, 1 May 2026 While chatbots often take on an affirming tone with users, several of the lawsuits point to a controversial model called GPT‑4o that was known for being especially sycophantic. Lauren Fichten, CBS News, 30 Apr. 2026 If the families win their lawsuits, OpenAI could be forced to change those rules to block more dangerous sessions and possibly to change ChatGPT’s overall design to be less sycophantic. Robert Pearlman, ArsTechnica, 29 Apr. 2026 Tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT have long garnered a reputation for being ludicrously sycophantic. Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 15 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sycophantic

Word History

First Known Use

1676, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sycophantic was in 1676

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Cite this Entry

“Sycophantic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sycophantic. Accessed 7 May. 2026.

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