| fawn 1 (fôn) intr.v. fawned, fawn·ing, fawns 1. To exhibit affection or attempt to please, as a dog does by wagging its tail, whining, or cringing. 2. To seek favor or attention by flattery and obsequious behavior. [Middle English faunen, from Old English fagnian, to rejoice, from fagen, fægen, glad.] fawn  er n.fawn ing·ly adv.Synonyms: fawn1, apple-polish, bootlick, kowtow, slaver1, toady, truckle These verbs mean to curry favor by behaving obsequiously and submissively: fawned on her superior; students apple-polishing the teacher; bootlicked to get a promotion; lawyers kowtowing to a judge; slavered over his rich uncle; toadying to members of the club; nobles truckling to the king. |
| fawn 2 (fôn) n. 1. A young deer, especially one less than a year old. 2. A grayish yellow-brown to moderate reddish brown. [Middle English, from Old French foun, faon, feon, young animal, from Vulgar Latin *f  t , *ftn-, from Latin ftus, offspring; see dh(i)- in Indo-European roots.] |
Fawning of courtiers, 15th century.
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Adj. | 1. | fawning - attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery insincere - lacking sincerity; "a charming but thoroughly insincere woman"; "their praise was extravagant and insincere" |
| 2. | fawning - attempting to win favor by flattery servile - submissive or fawning in attitude or behavior; "spoke in a servile tone"; "the incurably servile housekeeper"; "servile tasks such as floor scrubbing and barn work" |
fawning
adjective obsequious, crawling, flattering, cringing, abject, grovelling, prostrate, deferential, sycophantic, servile, slavish, bowing and scraping, bootlicking (informal) flanked on all sides by fawning minions
Translations
fawning
adj person, manner → kriecherisch, liebedienernd; dog → schwanzwedelnd
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