brown-nosers
Ingrating favor seekers
Brown-nosers are people who curry favor through excessive flattery or servile behavior toward those in authority.
The image is of someone with their nose so far up a superior's backside that it turns brown—crude but vivid.
The brown-nosers always got the best assignments.
The term is mildly vulgar but widely used in workplace complaints about sycophantic colleagues.
Servile self-seeking flatterers
- flatterersThose offering insincere praise
- bootlickersServile seekers of favor
- yes-menAutomatic approval-givers
- toadiesServile flatterers seeking favor
apple-polishers · promotions · boss · supervisor · raises · ass-kissers · kowtowing · fawning
Excessive insincere praise
- complimentsExpressions of admiration
- praiseExpression of approval
- agreeingSharing the same view
- laughingMaking sounds of amusement
gifts · favors · following · nodding · smiling · volunteering · eagerness · enthusiasm
Mass public favor
- cliquesExclusive social groups
- teachersThose who instruct students
- coachesThose who instruct athletes
- professorsHighest-ranking university instructors
authority · approval · acceptance · insecurity · opportunism · phoniness · insincerity · two-faced
sycophants
Servile self-seeking flatterers
- flatterersThose offering insincere praise
- bootlickersServile seekers of favor
- yes-menAutomatic approval-givers
toadies · apple-polishers · promotions · boss · supervisor · raises · ass-kissers · kowtowing · fawning · ingratiating
flattery
Excessive insincere praise
- complimentsExpressions of admiration
- praiseExpression of approval
- agreeingSharing the same view
laughing · gifts · favors · following · nodding · smiling · volunteering · eagerness · enthusiasm · attention
popularity
Mass public favor
professors · authority · approval · acceptance · insecurity · opportunism · phoniness · insincerity · two-faced · scheming
- sycophantssycophant, sycophants, toady, toadies, bootlicker
- deceiversliar, liars, deceiver, fraud, fake
brown-nosersrebels
Armed opposition fighters
dissidents · troublemakers · mavericks · insubordinates · defiers
nose, brown, noses, nosed, brown-noser, nosing, brown-nose, brown-nosing, noser