kowtowing to authority
- bowingBending forward in deference
- submissiveReadily yielding to control
- obedientFollowing commands willingly
- grovelingDemeaning self-abasement before another
- deferentialShowing humble submission
sycophant · bootlicking · fawning · servile · yes-man · compliant · genuflecting · subservient · toady · flattering · spineless · cringing · doormat · meek · brown-nosing · prostrating · obsequious · reverence
deference vs defiance
kowtowing to authorityrebelling
Resisting established authority
insubordination · disobedience · resistance · insurrection · revolt
servility vs dignity
kowtowing to authorityself-respect
Valuing one's own worth
standing tall · asserting oneself · backbone · unbowed · self-possession
conformity vs independence
kowtowing to authorityfreethinking
Intellectually independent reasoning
questioning authority · anti-authoritarianism · nonconformity · autonomy · iconoclasm