servile
[ sur-vil, -vahyl ]
/ ˈsɜr vɪl, -vaɪl /
adjective
Origin of servile
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin
servīlis, equivalent to
serv- (stem of
servīre to be a slave) +
-īlis
-ile
SYNONYMS FOR servile
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.
OTHER WORDS FROM servile
Words nearby servile
serviceperson,
services,
servicewoman,
servient tenement,
serviette,
servile,
servile work,
serving,
servite,
servitor,
servitude
Example sentences from the Web for servile
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
Derived forms of servile
servilely, adverb servility (sɜːˈvɪlɪtɪ) or servileness, nounWord Origin for servile
C14: from Latin
servīlis, from
servus slave