apple-polisher

noun

as in brownnoser
a person who flatters another in order to get ahead a transparent apple-polisher whose fulsome praise fooled no one

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for apple-polisher
  1. minion
  2. fan
  3. toady
  4. parasite
  5. sponge
  6. lickspittle
  7. sycophant
  8. bootlicker
Noun
  • Gavin Newsom’s legislative minions just got a lesson in constitutional supremacy.
    — , FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2026
  • There are references to demons, being burned alive, and the duende king explicitly commands his minions to kill Jo and Raissa.
    — Parents, Parents, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of minion
Noun
  • Megill retired Richie Palacios on a grounder to second to end it, threw his arms in the air and was mobbed by teammates near the mound while Brewers fans celebrated in the stands.
    — Rob Maaddi, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Another fan was portrayed cooking a sausage on a stick over his car engine.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of fan
Noun
  • Under Homelander’s rule, spineless toadies like The Deep would be the only remaining followers.
    — Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
  • His embrace of Trump‘s endorsement and refusal to admit that Joe Biden legitimately won the 2020 presidential election expose him as a toady.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
Definition of toady
Noun
  • These parasites primarily infest the eyes of cats and dogs but can sometimes make their way into human eyes inadvertently.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Without the ecological check of microbial parasites, humans proliferated.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of parasite
Noun
  • But Mitts wine sponges, designed first and foremost for cleaning delicate glassware, offer a great reason to pay attention to the small stuff.
    — Editors of Bon Appétit, Bon Appetit Magazine, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to apply foundation with a sponge.
    — Alanna Martine Kilkeary, Glamour, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of sponge
Noun
  • Rarely has a president been surrounded by such an array of toadies and lickspittles, operating beyond their competence in an atmosphere of organizational chaos.
    — Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 1 Apr. 2026
  • Firmly in control of the nation’s massive federal apparatus, MAGA and its Republican lickspittles in Congress have thrived on chaos.
    — Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 23 Jan. 2026
Definition of lickspittle
Noun
  • For its sycophants, LIV Golf was a new flavor in the vanilla world of professional golf.
    — Brody Miller, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Our state is under siege by the skilled sycophants who surround the president and use his base desires as cover for their own destructive agendas.
    — Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of sycophant
Noun
  • The result of this dynamic tension of bootlickers, according to Bernhard’s narrator, is the perpetual elevation and official anointment of mediocrity.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 19 Feb. 2026
  • If all goes to hell and America devolves into a rank dictatorship, beware the bootlicker.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
Definition of bootlicker
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Apple-polisher.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apple-polisher. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

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