bootlicking
bootlicking Lexical Profile
bootlicking Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The practice of behaving in an excessively servile or sycophantic way toward someone in power in order to gain favor or advantage.
"She earned her promotion through hard work and competence rather than shameless bootlicking."
• adjective
Behaving in an excessively obsequious, servile, or sycophantic manner toward someone in authority to gain favor.
"The manager surrounded himself with bootlicking assistants who never questioned his bad decisions."
• verb
To seek the favor or goodwill of someone in authority through servile flattery or sycophantic behavior (present participle of bootlick).
"He spent the entire meeting bootlicking the executive board in hopes of securing the director role."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in the 19th century as a compound of 'boot' and 'licking', evoking the literal act of kissing or licking a superior's footwear as a gesture of extreme submission.