as in subordinate
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as in fussing
to use flattery or the doing of favors in order to win approval especially from a superior
you can try kowtowing to the boss, but he'll see right through you
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Recent Examples of kowtowing
Ben Travers, IndieWire, 5 Mar. 2026
The public demand was made based on a social media post from right-wing journalist Laura Loomer, who pointed to a video in which Rice vowed to hold companies accountable for kowtowing to Trump if Democrats regain power in the federal government.
—David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 22 Feb. 2026
On Tuesday, Colbert claimed CBS management is kowtowing to Carr and showing a lack of corporate courage.
—Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2026
But Thibodeau was never interested in being Tony La Russa and kowtowing to Reinsdorf or the management team of Gar Forman and John Paxson.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026
Two years ago, she got fired from her $196,551 hack sinecure at the Cannabis Control Commission for not sufficiently kowtowing to the woke mob.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 22 Nov. 2025
Flattering, placating, and kowtowing only seem to spark escalating demands while defiance risks retaliation.
—Jeff Kingston, Time, 4 Oct. 2025
Pushback by viewers in Sinclair and Nexstar’s ABC markets, and the perception that the companies are kowtowing to the FCC chairman’s anti-liberal ideology, could be a factor to lead the companies to relent.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 24 Sep. 2025
The secretary accused the AAP of kowtowing to corporate benefactors while ignoring the clear evidence that such vaccines are safe for children and can prevent serious illness.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 21 Aug. 2025
Verb
After all, the series largely avoids other topical issues of modern campus life, from freedom of speech restrictions to administrators kowtowing to autocracies.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 5 Mar. 2026
The public demand was made based on a social media post from right-wing journalist Laura Loomer, who pointed to a video in which Rice vowed to hold companies accountable for kowtowing to Trump if Democrats regain power in the federal government.
—David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 22 Feb. 2026
On Tuesday, Colbert claimed CBS management is kowtowing to Carr and showing a lack of corporate courage.
—Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2026
But Thibodeau was never interested in being Tony La Russa and kowtowing to Reinsdorf or the management team of Gar Forman and John Paxson.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026
Two years ago, she got fired from her $196,551 hack sinecure at the Cannabis Control Commission for not sufficiently kowtowing to the woke mob.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 22 Nov. 2025
Flattering, placating, and kowtowing only seem to spark escalating demands while defiance risks retaliation.
—Jeff Kingston, Time, 4 Oct. 2025
Pushback by viewers in Sinclair and Nexstar’s ABC markets, and the perception that the companies are kowtowing to the FCC chairman’s anti-liberal ideology, could be a factor to lead the companies to relent.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 24 Sep. 2025
The secretary accused the AAP of kowtowing to corporate benefactors while ignoring the clear evidence that such vaccines are safe for children and can prevent serious illness.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kowtowing
Adjective
-
Another amendment adopted to the bill sought to address multiuser accounts, chiefly by having parental and subordinate accounts.—
Nick Coltrain,
Denver Post,
26 Apr. 2026
-
The White House declined to comment on the allegations against former Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who stepped down last week after multiple allegations of abusing her position’s power, including having an affair with a subordinate and drinking alcohol on the job.—
Ana Ceballos
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Ever the dedicated mother, Stacy runs to her adult daughter’s aid, fussing at her for not using a driver for her errands.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Your son is fussing in his car seat.—
Elizabeth Bruenig,
The Atlantic,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
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And if fawning over flora is your thing, a new report by online casino Spinblitz might inspire you to book a getaway.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Infantino’s gesture might strike people unacquainted with World Cup history as shamelessly fawning.—
Ian Buruma,
New Yorker,
23 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
That this man’s-man tough guy becomes utterly servile in the presence of a bunch of slack-casual bazillionaires is the cherry on top of the fascist sundae.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Julia was the first weekly TV series that starred a Black woman in a role that wasn't servile.—
Starr Rocque,
PEOPLE,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The staff is wonderfully friendly and casual, providing seamless service without being obsequious.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
29 Apr. 2026
-
The millennial-Gen Z generational divide, both sides fighting over scraps of a shrinking pie while still in smiling, obsequious service to aging boomers, is an enticing hook made more so by meta casting.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Its mission was to upset hierarchies, not reinforce them, and few things were more offensive to comedians than bootlicking.—
Robert Lynch,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Call it the bootlicking trickle-down-effect.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Diaries confirm that life is in the details, and in its passions, all of which Ford includes, all of which are inevitably subservient to time.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 Apr. 2026
-
But the oppressive structure of the cult soon becomes evident — media is completely disavowed, women must be subservient to men and contact with outsiders is kept to a bare minimum.—
Keith Langston,
PEOPLE,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
While many of the building’s original features—including the soaring stucco ceilings decorated with a sun motif - have been preserved, the look and feel are more 21st-century magpie than slavish historical reverence.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Hence the slavish social media posting, the manic email checking, the constant baked goods craving.—
Heidi Stevens,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Kowtowing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kowtowing. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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