toady
/ˈtəʊdi/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈtəʊdi/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈtō-dē How to pronounce toady (audio)/ (ame, mw) · /ˈtəʊ.di/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈtoʊ.di/ (ame, ipa)
toady — noun
- toadysingular
- toadiesplural
1. Someone who acts overly friendly or says nice things to important people, hoping
Someone who acts overly friendly or says nice things to important people, hoping to receive personal rewards from them.
Ritu thought the new salesman was a toady because he laughed at every joke the manager told.
countable noun with who/behaviour clause
The director surrounded herself with toadies who never questioned a single decision.
When the CEO visited the office, Vikram acted like a toady, complimenting everything from the chairs to the carpets.
Ayana wanted honest opinions from her team, not a group of toadies who always agreed with her.
Justin refused to be anyone's toady, even when the director offered him a promotion in exchange for loyalty.
- sycophant
more formal and literary; suggests flattery for personal gain
- yes-man
informal; focuses on always agreeing rather than flattering
- bootlicker
very informal and derogatory; suggests servile behaviour
- flatterer
broader; can refer to praise that is not necessarily self-serving
- critic
someone who expresses honest disagreement rather than flattery
- nonconformist
someone who refuses to adapt their behaviour to please authority
文法句型
toady + who-clause
toady + of + person
用法筆記
Almost always used as a negative label for someone's character. Often appears in relative clauses (a toady who...) that describe the flattering behaviour.
常見錯誤
toady — verb
- toadypresent simple I / you / we / they
- toadies3rd person singular
- toadying-ing form
- toadiedpast simple
1. To show exaggerated friendliness or give insincere praise toward a powerful pers
To show exaggerated friendliness or give insincere praise toward a powerful person, hoping to get something you want from them.
Yael toadied to the senior manager by bringing her coffee every morning and praising each report she wrote.
verb + to + person (object of flattery)
Tuan would never toady to a colleague, preferring to let the quality of his work speak for itself.
Some employees toady to their supervisors simply because they are afraid of losing their jobs.
Rania watched her coworker toady to the visiting consultant and felt embarrassed by the display.
Instead of toadying to the committee chair, Bao presented his views honestly and let the members decide.
- fawn
more formal; suggests puppy-like eagerness to please
- grovel
stronger; implies humiliating oneself
- kowtow
suggests yielding or submitting rather than actively flattering
- ingratiate oneself
more formal and often reflexive; focuses on gaining favour
文法句型
toady to + person
be toadying to + person
用法筆記
Always takes the preposition 'to' before the person being flattered (toady to someone). Never used transitively — you cannot say 'toady someone'.