as in humble
showing, expressing, or offered in a spirit of humility or unseemly submissiveness had always maintained a servile attitude around people with money

Synonyms & Similar Words

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How is the word servile distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of servile are obsequious, slavish, and subservient. While all these words mean "showing or characterized by extreme compliance or abject obedience," servile suggests the mean or fawning behavior of a slave.

a political boss and his entourage of servile hangers-on

When might obsequious be a better fit than servile?

While in some cases nearly identical to servile, obsequious implies fawning or sycophantic compliance and exaggerated deference of manner.

waiters who are obsequious in the presence of celebrities

When could slavish be used to replace servile?

The words slavish and servile can be used in similar contexts, but slavish suggests abject or debased servility.

the slavish status of migrant farm workers

When would subservient be a good substitute for servile?

In some situations, the words subservient and servile are roughly equivalent. However, subservient implies the cringing manner of one very conscious of a subordinate position.

domestic help was expected to be properly subservient

Examples Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of servile Arriving at Egg Island sporting bohemian attire and a distinctly non-deferent attitude, Monk swiftly arouses the suspicions of Horton and his stuffy, servile housekeeper Mrs. McMurray (Kristine Nielsen). Guy Lodge, Variety, 16 Sep. 2023 The statue features a godlike Lincoln astride a kneeling, formerly enslaved man in a loincloth — his servile gratitude could not be more apparent. Peter Marks, Washington Post, 15 Sep. 2023 Will Dagger, too, as a farmhand who feels too deeply for people who rarely acknowledge his presence, makes a memorable virtue of the character’s servile role. Peter Marks, Washington Post, 14 July 2023 Responding to her questionnaire, Cyril Connolly, the editor of Horizon magazine, pointed out that the aggressive aims of fascist states required a populace that was ‘rendered both warlike and servile’ – the ‘stultifying’, in other words, ‘of the human race’. Sarah Watling, Time, 13 July 2023 See all Example Sentences for servile 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for servile
Adjective
  • Chapter 1: The Rise of Scribe Media Scribe Media started in 2014 as the humbler, niche-sounding Book in a Box.
    Kyle J. Russell, USA TODAY, 13 Dec. 2024
  • Just a few steps up the hill is a humble boulangerie that punches far above its weight; Le Fornil de Mon Père has been making bread and pastries in the area for eight decades.
    Michael Venutolo-Mantovani, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Tucci, a reassuring screen presence for more than three decades, is casually excellent as the iconoclastic Bellini, wisely downplaying his character’s physicality in favor of meek conviction.
    Graham Hillard, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 29 Nov. 2024
  • Instead, Amy Adams, whose performance as a meek nun in Doubt was her second Oscar nomination after Junebug, reaps that windfall and wins her Oscar nice and early in her career.
    Joe Reid, Vulture, 26 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • To believe otherwise is to believe a nation not far removed from abject poverty is somehow dense with investors eager to not just put wealth to work, but put wealth to work in ventures set to fail with 90 percent regularity.
    John Tamny, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
  • Under these pretenses, Wrapped is an abject failure, a cheap magic trick that momentarily distracts you from the gun being held to the back of your head.
    Brady Brickner-Wood, The New Yorker, 10 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Other announcements included an experimental coding agent called Jules, which uses AI to generate simple computer code and carry out menial software engineering tasks, like fixing bugs.
    Richard Nieva, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
  • In fact, the vast majority of the it is spent walking around each locale, looking for ways to progress or solving minor puzzles and other menial tasks.
    Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 10 Dec. 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Servile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/servile. Accessed 24 Dec. 2024.

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