SERVILE Synonyms: 27 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

servile

adjective

ˈsər-vəl

Definition of servile next

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

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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

The Bunny Museum began as a humble endeavor back in 1998.

Maxwell Williams, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2025
Listen to this article Loading your audio article All five past, present and future presidents gathered Thursday at an inspirational state funeral for Jimmy Carter, the famously folksy peanut farmer who rose from humble beginnings in rural Georgia to become the 39th commander-in-chief.

Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 9 Jan. 2025