grovel
Crawl before someone
To grovel is to lie or crawl face down, typically in a posture of submission or humility.
The word now appears almost exclusively in its figurative sense—to behave obsequiously or debase oneself before someone: He refused to grovel for forgiveness.
Someone who grovels abases themselves, often to gain favor or avoid punishment: Stop groveling and stand up for yourself.
Ask with desperation
- pleadAsk urgently or formally
- imploreUrge with desperation
- beseechPlead urgently with someone
- supplicateBeg earnestly and humbly
entreat · crawl · kneel · prostrate · kowtow · bow · petition · appeal
Young deer, or flatter
- toadyObsequious flatterer seeking favor
- bootlickFlatter servilely for gain
- sycophantServile praise-giver
- flatterPraise to please
ingratiate · kowtow · lickspittle · yes-man · doormat · unctuous · smarmy · oily
Lower in quality
prostrate · humiliate · shame · self-abasement · indignity · mortify · eat humble pie · eat dirt
beg
Ask with desperation
supplicate · entreat · crawl · kneel · prostrate · kowtow · bow · petition · appeal · crave
fawn
Young deer, or flatter
- toadyObsequious flatterer seeking favor
- bootlickFlatter servilely for gain
- sycophantServile praise-giver
flatter · ingratiate · kowtow · lickspittle · yes-man · doormat · unctuous · smarmy · oily · slavish
debase
Lower in quality
crawl · prostrate · humiliate · shame · self-abasement · indignity · mortify · eat humble pie · eat dirt · eat crow
pleading
Urgent heartfelt request
- beggingEarnest desperate requesting
- imploringUrgently requesting with emotion
- desperateDriven by urgent need
helpless · hopeless · needy · anxious · frantic · urgent · clutching · pitiful · pathetic · wretched
- flatteryflatter, praise, flattery, compliment, compliments
- sycophantssycophant, sycophants, toady, toadies, bootlicker
- romancelove story, amor, love, boyfriend, courting
- humiliationashamed, abasement, embarrassed, chagrin, mortified
- surrendersurrender, surrenders, surrendering, I surrender, capitulate
- deferencedeference, bow, curtsy, genuflect, kneeling
groveldominate
Control through superior strength
domineer · command · assert oneself · lord over · dictate
grovelhold one's head high
Feel no shame
defy · spurn · scorn · assert oneself · disdain
groveling, grovelling, grovels, grovelled, groveler, groveled, groveller, grovelers, grovellers