brown noser
Teacher's pet type
A brown noser is someone who seeks favor through excessive flattery or obsequious behavior toward people in authority.
The image is of someone whose nose has become brown from kissing ass.
The term is insulting but not strongly vulgar: He got the promotion because he's a brown noser, not because he's qualified.
Also spelled brownnose or brown-noser.
The verb is to brownnose.
Obsequious flatterer seeking favor
- bootlickerServile flatterer of superiors
- yes-manUncritical agreeable subordinate
- fawnerOne who flatters servilely
- apple-polisherObsequious flatterer of authority
teacher's pet · lickspittle · groveler · flatterer · lackey · minion · stooge · puppet
Coldly self-serving in strategy
- schemingCrafty and calculating
- connivingSecretly planning wrongdoing
- opportunisticExploiting circumstances for gain
- self-servingBenefiting oneself primarily
ambitious · cunning · strategic · devious · crafty · shrewd · exploitative · underhanded
Excessive insincere flattery
- servileExcessively submissive, lacking independence
- subservientExcessively eager to obey
- smarmyInsincerely ingratiating
- unctuousExcessively and insincerely earnest
ingratiating · deferential · groveling · meek · submissive · compliant · obeisant · adulatory
toady
Obsequious flatterer seeking favor
- bootlickerServile flatterer of superiors
- yes-manUncritical agreeable subordinate
- fawnerOne who flatters servilely
apple-polisher · teacher's pet · lickspittle · groveler · flatterer · lackey · minion · stooge · puppet · doormat
calculating
Coldly self-serving in strategy
- schemingCrafty and calculating
- connivingSecretly planning wrongdoing
- opportunisticExploiting circumstances for gain
self-serving · ambitious · cunning · strategic · devious · crafty · shrewd · exploitative · underhanded · sly
fawning
Excessive insincere flattery
- servileExcessively submissive, lacking independence
- subservientExcessively eager to obey
- smarmyInsincerely ingratiating
unctuous · ingratiating · deferential · groveling · meek · submissive · compliant · obeisant · adulatory · slavish
- workjob, 9 to 5, jobs, labor, employee
- Office SatireDilbert, Office Space, The Office, Silicon Valley, buzzword bingo
- teacher's petsapple polisher, suck up, favorite, teacher's pets, grade grubber
- campusdorm, dormitory, dormitories, dorms, quad
- people typesfriend, stranger, neighbor, enemy, buddy
- sycophantssycophant, sycophants, toady, toadies, bootlicker
brown noserrebel
Authority defier
nonconformist · maverick · dissident · troublemaker · insubordinate
brown noserhonest broker
Impartial third-party negotiator
straight shooter · straight talker · truth teller · truth-teller
brown, nose, browns, browned, browning, brownish, noses, nosed, nosing