servility
Use Servility in a sentence
vɪl, -vaɪl adjective
1.
slavishly submissive or obsequious; fawning: servile flatterers.
2.
characteristic of, proper to, or customary for slaves; abject: servile obedience.
3.
yielding slavishly; truckling (usually followed by to ).
4.
extremely imitative, especially in the arts; lacking in originality.
5.
being in slavery; oppressed.
6.
of, pertaining to, or involving slaves or servants.
7.
of or pertaining to a condition of servitude or property ownership in which a person is held as a slave or as partially enslaved: medieval rebellions against servile laws.
Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin servīlis, equivalent to serv- (stem of servīre to be a slave) + -īlis -ile
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin servīlis, equivalent to serv- (stem of servīre to be a slave) + -īlis -ile
Related forms
ser·vile·ly, adverb
ser·vil·i·ty, ser·vile·ness, noun
non·ser·vile, adjective
non·ser·vile·ly, adverb
non·ser·vile·ness, noun
o·ver·ser·vile, adjective
o·ver·ser·vile·ly, adverb
o·ver·ser·vile·ness, noun
o·ver·ser·vil·i·ty, noun
pseu·do·ser·vile, adjective
pseu·do·ser·vile·ly, adverb
un·ser·vile, adjective
un·ser·vile·ly, adverb
Synonyms
1, 2. cringing, sycophantic. Servile, menial, obsequious, slavish characterize one who behaves like a slave or an inferior. Servile suggests cringing, fawning, and abject submission: servile responses to questions. Menial applies to that which is considered undesirable drudgery: the most menial tasks. Obsequious implies the ostentatious subordination of oneself to the wishes of another, either from fear or from hope of gain: an obsequious waiter. Slavish stresses the dependence and labori-ous toil of one who follows or obeys without question: slavish attentiveness to orders. 2. mean, base, low.
1, 2. cringing, sycophantic. Servile, menial, obsequious, slavish characterize one who behaves like a slave or an inferior. Servile suggests cringing, fawning, and abject submission: servile responses to questions. Menial applies to that which is considered undesirable drudgery: the most menial tasks. Obsequious implies the ostentatious subordination of oneself to the wishes of another, either from fear or from hope of gain: an obsequious waiter. Slavish stresses the dependence and labori-ous toil of one who follows or obeys without question: slavish attentiveness to orders. 2. mean, base, low.
Antonyms
1. aggressive. 2. exalted.
1. aggressive. 2. exalted.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To servility
00:10
Servility
is always a great word to know.
So is lollapalooza. Does it mean:
| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
| an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
servile (ˈsɜːvaɪl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj (when postpositive, | |
| 1. | obsequious or fawning in attitude or behaviour; submissive |
| 2. | of or suitable for a slave |
| 3. | existing in or relating to a state of slavery |
| 4. | submitting or obedient |
| [C14: from Latin servīlis, from servus slave] | |
| 'servilely | |
| —adv | |
| servility | |
| —n | |
| 'servileness | |
| —n | |
| servile (ˈsɜːvaɪl) | |
| —adj (when postpositive, | |
| 1. | obsequious or fawning in attitude or behaviour; submissive |
| 2. | of or suitable for a slave |
| 3. | existing in or relating to a state of slavery |
| 4. | submitting or obedient |
| [C14: from Latin servīlis, from servus slave] | |
| 'servilely | |
| —adv | |
| servility | |
| —n | |
| 'servileness | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
servile
1382, from L. servilis "of a slave, servile," from servus "slave" (see serve). Earliest sense was legal, servile work being forbidden on the Sabbath; sense of "cringing, fawning" first recorded 1605.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
Example sentences
Among the clergy, there was much ignorance, servility and pragmatism.
When dealing with professionals, many people vacillate between servility and resentment.
Hence he tended to fawn servility, to wear the mask of humility.
Let timid doctrinaires depart from among us to carry their servility and their miserable fears elsewhere.
Matching Quote
Related Searches
Nearby Words
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
