sycophant

5 definitions found

sycophant - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Sycophant \Syc"o*phant\, v. t. [CF. L. sycophantari to deceive,
     to trick, Gr. ?.]
     1. To inform against; hence, to calumniate. [Obs.]
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              Sycophanting and misnaming the work of his
              adversary.                            --Milton.
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     2. To play the sycophant toward; to flatter obsequiously.
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  Sycophant \Syc"o*phant\, v. i.
     To play the sycophant.
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  Sycophant \Syc"o*phant\, n. [L. sycophanta a slanderer,
     deceiver, parasite, Gr. ? a false accuser, false adviser,
     literally, a fig shower; ? a fig + ? to show: cf. F.
     sycophante. The reason for the name is not certainly known.
     See Phenomenon.]
     1. An informer; a talebearer. [Obs.] "Accusing sycophants, of
        all men, did best sort to his nature." --Sir P. Sidney.
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     2. A base parasite; a mean or servile flatterer; especially,
        a flatterer of princes and great men.
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              A sycophant will everything admire:
              Each verse, each sentence, sets his soul on fire.
                                                    --Dryden.
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sycophant - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  sycophant
      n 1: a person who tries to please someone in order to gain a
           personal advantage [syn: sycophant, toady, crawler,
           lackey, ass-kisser]

sycophant - Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 :

  75 Moby Thesaurus words for "sycophant":
     adherent, adulator, apple-polisher, ass-licker, backscratcher,
     backslapper, blarneyer, bootlick, bootlicker, bootlicking,
     brown-nose, brownie, cajoler, clawback, courtier, cowering,
     creature, cringer, cringing, disciple, dummy, dupe, fawner,
     figurehead, flatterer, flunky, follower, footlicker, gillie, goon,
     gopher, groveler, groveling, handshaker, hanger-on, helot,
     henchman, instrument, jackal, kowtower, kowtowing, lackey,
     led captain, lickspit, lickspittle, man, mealymouth, minion,
     myrmidon, parasitic, peon, puppet, reptile, satellite, self-seeker,
     serf, slave, snob, spaniel, stooge, suck, thug, timeserver, toad,
     toadeater, toady, toadying, toadyish, tool, truckler, truckling,
     tufthunter, votary, wheedler, yes-man