servile

[ sur-vil, -vahyl ]

See synonyms for servile on Thesaurus.com

adjective

slavishly submissive or obsequious; fawning: servile flatterers.
characteristic of, proper to, or customary for slaves; abject: servile obedience.

yielding slavishly; truckling (usually followed by to).
extremely imitative, especially in the arts; lacking in originality.
being in slavery; oppressed.
of, relating to, or involving slaves or servants.
of or relating to a condition of servitude or property ownership in which a person is held in slavery or partially enslaved: medieval rebellions against servile laws.

Origin of servile

First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English servil(e), serville, from Latin servīlis “of a slave, slavish, servile,” equivalent to serv- (stem of servus “slave”) + -īlis -ile;see also serf

synonym study For servile

1, 2. 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.

Other words for servile

1	cringing, sycophantic, obsequious
2	obedient; humble, lowly

See synonyms for servile on Thesaurus.com

Opposites for servile

1	insubordinate
2	disobedient; lordly, superior

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Other words from servile

ser·vile·ly, adverb
ser·vil·i·ty [sur-vil-i-tee], /ˌsɜrˈvɪl ɪ ti/, ser·vile·ness, noun
non·ser·vile, adjective
non·ser·vile·ly, adverb
o·ver·ser·vile, adjective
o·ver·ser·vile·ly, adverb
pseu·do·ser·vile, adjective
pseu·do·ser·vile·ly, adverb
un·ser·vile, adjective
un·ser·vile·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for servile

servile

/ (ˈsɜːvaɪl) /

adjective

obsequious or fawning in attitude or behaviour; submissive
of or suitable for a slave

existing in or relating to a state of slavery
(when postpositive, foll by to) submitting or obedient

Origin of servile

C14: from Latin servīlis, from servus slave

Derived forms of servile

servilely, adverb
servility (sɜːˈvɪlɪtɪ) or servileness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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