variants
also flunkey
or flunkie
1
as in servant
a person hired to perform household or personal services
since I'm just the flunky who files his papers, I've no idea where he is
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sycophant
a person who flatters another in order to get ahead
a rock star who saw through the phonies and the flunkies
Synonyms & Similar Words
Examples Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of flunky
Brennan’s flunkies created a fake online profile to access the network used by the Senate Intelligence Committee, whose Democratic members were at the time investigating the CIA’s torture program.
—
Becket Adams, National Review, 9 July 2023
In episode 5, Manfredi viciously killed a mob flunky, Nico, who Tina said had molested her while her father was serving a 25-year prison sentence.
—Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 20 Dec. 2022
And Julia’s cousin, the feckless Lord Cassidy (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), is amusing as a flunky for Julia’s demands.
—Natalia Winkelman, BostonGlobe.com, 29 June 2022
Earlier this month, former Chancellor and longtime Putin flunky Gerhard Schroeder was nominated to join the board of Gazprom, the company behind the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
—Michael Tomasky, The New Republic, 28 Feb. 2022
See all Example Sentences for flunky 
Becket Adams, National Review, 9 July 2023
In episode 5, Manfredi viciously killed a mob flunky, Nico, who Tina said had molested her while her father was serving a 25-year prison sentence.
—Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 20 Dec. 2022
And Julia’s cousin, the feckless Lord Cassidy (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), is amusing as a flunky for Julia’s demands.
—Natalia Winkelman, BostonGlobe.com, 29 June 2022
Earlier this month, former Chancellor and longtime Putin flunky Gerhard Schroeder was nominated to join the board of Gazprom, the company behind the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
—Michael Tomasky, The New Republic, 28 Feb. 2022
See all Example Sentences for flunky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flunky
Noun
-
Spanning the 20th century, the story follows Emma Harte, who goes from a teenage servant in Yorkshire to a retail magnate and is faced with deciding who should carry on her legacy.Ellise Shafer, Variety, 25 Nov. 2024
-
The narrative is framed by Mr. Lockwood, a tenant at Thrushcross Grange, who learns about the tumultuous history of Wuthering Heights through Nelly Dean, a longtime servant.Matt Grobar, Deadline, 20 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
But Trump has been less interested in ideology and more attracted to a politics of personal grievance, one that rewards sycophants and punishes critics.Brent Lang, Variety, 17 Oct. 2024
-
Other influencers, such as the Trump sycophant Laura Loomer, have urged their followers to disrupt the disaster agency’s efforts to help hurricane victims.Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2024
Noun
-
The first principle of Chavismo, the movement created by Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chávez, is that Chavistas are locked in a permanent struggle with the imperialist United States and its lackeys in the Venezuelan oligarchy.Ivan Briscoe, Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2019
-
Long dismissed as a lackey or a laughingstock (thanks to his looks and his limp), the former driver turned factory manager spots an opportunity where others only see catastrophe.Ben Travers, IndieWire, 12 Sep. 2024
Noun
-
Of course, being a junior senator and attaching your name to legislation that has little chance of being enacted—none of those have bills passed—is very different from being Vice-President and chief lickspittle to Trump.John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 22 July 2024
-
Such as holding court, choosing your sobriquet, and naming imbecilic lickspittles to our Kingsguard.Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 7 July 2024
Noun
-
Lead assistant coach David Adelman took on head coaching duties for the Nuggets in New Orleans, where the court was painted blue for their first NBA Cup game.Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 15 Nov. 2024
-
The new system lets users ask questions about NASA’s satellite data in plain English, similar to chatting with a virtual assistant.Britney Nguyen, Quartz, 14 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
Back in the dawn of the Trump era — just prior to his 2017 inauguration — the line of would-be suck-ups queuing up for face time with the president-elect included a man with a distinguished name.Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2023
-
Office suck-ups, popularized by television characters like Dwight Schrute in The Office and Tom Wambsgans in Succession, typically take their cues from those in charge.Matthew Boyle, Fortune, 26 Apr. 2023
Noun
-
Alfred Molina, Ving Rhames, Toby Jones, and Paul Walter Hauser all drop by to add their touches to an underworld majordomo, a dogged BPD Special Ops officer, a political toady and Boston’s single dumbest thug, respectively.David Fear, Rolling Stone, 1 Aug. 2024
-
Even meteorologists would face an uncertain future, given that Project 2025 also calls for replacing tens of thousands of federal workers with political toadies beholden only to the White House.Pat Beall, Orlando Sentinel, 28 July 2024
Noun
-
To hear Nichushkin tell it after a 5-2 loss to the Washington Capitals, the warm vibes from the fans and teammates could have melted the ice.Troy Renck, The Denver Post, 15 Nov. 2024
-
But Kerr’s point stands: Only casual fans would ever use basic counting stats to try to capture Green’s impact.Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 15 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near flunky
Cite this Entry
“Flunky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flunky. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share