BOOTLICKING Synonyms: 47 Similar and Opposite Words

bootlicking

verb

present participle of bootlick

as in fussing

to use flattery or the doing of favors in order to win approval especially from a superior the kind of office in which people feel they have to bootlick in order to get ahead

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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 bootlicking Call it the bootlicking trickle-down-effect. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026 Its mission was to upset hierarchies, not reinforce them, and few things were more offensive to comedians than bootlicking. — Robert Lynch, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bootlicking

Verb

Yes, teaching by example is often a better way of handling a challenge than fussing about it.

— Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 17 June 2026
Ever the dedicated mother, Stacy runs to her adult daughter’s aid, fussing at her for not using a driver for her errands.

— Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 13 Mar. 2026

Definition of fussing

Verb

Isaacs said the symptoms of heat stress or heat stroke include excessive panting, drooling, vomiting, seizures or collapse.

— Renee Anderson, CBS News, 1 July 2026
This golden lasagna is the perfect way to offer a vegetarian option that meat-eaters will be drooling over.

— Better Homes & Gardens, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 June 2026

Definition of drooling

Verb

What distinguishes Camper, at least musically, is his deference to classic R&B signifiers without kowtowing to pastiche.

— Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 27 Apr. 2026
After all, the series largely avoids other topical issues of modern campus life, from freedom of speech restrictions to administrators kowtowing to autocracies.

— Ben Travers, IndieWire, 5 Mar. 2026

Definition of kowtowing

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bootlickers

bootlicking

bootlicks

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“Bootlicking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bootlicking. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of bootlicking

verb

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