groveling
Crawling before authority
Groveling is crawling or lying face down in a posture of submission or abasement.
The word usually appears figuratively: to grovel is to humble oneself excessively, often in hopes of gaining favor or forgiveness: He spent the weekend groveling after forgetting their anniversary.
Groveling suggests a loss of dignity—the supplicant debases themselves before someone with power over them.
Excessive insincere flattery
- sycophanticServilely flattering
- bootlickingServile flattery for advantage
- servileExcessively submissive, lacking independence
- ingratiatingSeeking favor through flattery
unctuous · cringing · flattering · smarmy · oily · kowtowing · sniveling · toadying
Urgent heartfelt request
- imploringUrgently requesting with emotion
- beseechingUrgently pleading for something
- entreatingUrgently asking for favor
- supplicatingAsking humbly, desperately
desperate · abject · pitiful · wretched · craven · sniveling · whimpering · clutching
Excessively eager to obey
- deferentialShowing humble submission
- submissiveReadily yielding to control
- prostrateLying fully extended
- supplicantOne who humbly entreats
kneeling · bowing · cowering · yielding · capitulating · docile · meek · compliant
fawning
Excessive insincere flattery
- sycophanticServilely flattering
- bootlickingServile flattery for advantage
- servileExcessively submissive, lacking independence
ingratiating · unctuous · cringing · flattering · smarmy · oily · kowtowing · sniveling · toadying · apple-polishing
pleading
Urgent heartfelt request
- imploringUrgently requesting with emotion
- beseechingUrgently pleading for something
- entreatingUrgently asking for favor
supplicating · desperate · abject · pitiful · wretched · craven · sniveling · whimpering · clutching · clinging
subservient
Excessively eager to obey
- deferentialShowing humble submission
- submissiveReadily yielding to control
- prostrateLying fully extended
supplicant · kneeling · bowing · cowering · yielding · capitulating · docile · meek · compliant · obedient
- flatteryflatter, praise, flattery, compliment, compliments
- submissivenesssubmissiveness, docility, meekness, obedience, tractability
- sycophancyfawning, toadying, kowtowing, brown-nosing, flattering
- sycophantssycophant, sycophants, toady, toadies, bootlicker
- guilt reactionsremorse, regret, contrition, self-blame, apology
- submissionsubmission hold, submitting, surrendering, capitulation, yielding
grovelingproud
Satisfied by accomplishment
dignified · self-respecting · defiant · unbowed · noble
grovelingdomineering
Aggressively asserting control
commanding · assertive · imperious · authoritative · dominant
grovelingupright
Vertical or morally sound
erect · standing tall · head held high · unbowed · towering
grovel, grovelling, grovels, grovelled, groveler, groveled, groveller, grovellers