toady

/ˈtəʊdi/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈtəʊdi/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈtō-dē How to pronounce toady (audio)/ (ame, mw) · /ˈtəʊ.di/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈtoʊ.di/ (ame, ipa)

toadysingular
toadiesplural

1.名詞C1

釋義

馬屁精

諂媚有權者以求好處的人

Someone who acts overly friendly or says nice things to important people, hoping to receive personal rewards from them.

例句

Ritu thought the new salesman was a toady because he laughed at every joke the manager told.

Ritu 認為那名新業務員是個馬屁精，因為主管說的每個笑話他都跟著笑。

countable noun with who/behaviour clause

The director surrounded herself with toadies who never questioned a single decision.

主任身邊圍繞著一群馬屁精，沒有人對她的決定提出質疑。

同義詞

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

反義詞

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

❌She is a toady person.

✅She is a toady.

💡'Toady' is a noun meaning a person, not an adjective describing one.

❌He is a toady of the boss.

✅He is a toady for the boss.' or 'He is the boss's toady.

💡When specifying whose toady, use a possessive or 'for', not 'of'.

toadypresent simple I / you / we / they
toadies3rd person singular
toadying-ing form
toadiedpast simple

1.動詞不及物C1

釋義

奉承；拍馬屁

諂媚討好權威人士

To show exaggerated friendliness or give insincere praise toward a powerful person, hoping to get something you want from them.

例句

Yael toadied to the senior manager by bringing her coffee every morning and praising each report she wrote.

Yael 每天早上去巴結高階主管，幫她買咖啡，還稱讚她寫的每一份報告。

verb + to + person (object of flattery)

Tuan would never toady to a colleague, preferring to let the quality of his work speak for itself.

Tuan 絕不奉承同事，寧可讓工作品質自己說話。

同義詞

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

反義詞

challenge
to question authority openly rather than flatter it
criticize
to express negative judgment instead of insincere praise

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'.

常見錯誤

❌He is always toadying his manager.

✅He is always toadying to his manager.

💡The verb 'toady' requires the preposition 'to' before the person being flattered.

❌She toadied the director for a raise.

✅She toadied to the director for a raise.

💡Even when stating the goal, 'to' must precede the person.

toady

toady — 名詞

1. Someone who acts overly friendly or says nice things to important people, hoping

文法句型

用法筆記

常見錯誤

toady — 動詞

1. To show exaggerated friendliness or give insincere praise toward a powerful pers

文法句型

用法筆記

常見錯誤