Meanings
plural obsequiousnesses
- uncountableusuallyThe quality of being obsequious; servile compliance.
The oleaginous Mike Pence, with his talent for toadyism and appetite for obsequiousness, could, Trump knew, become America’s most repulsive public figure.
2018 May 9, George F. Will, “Trump is no longer the worst person in government”, in The Washington Post, archived from the original on 11 Jul 20181 more example
The crusty portier and the crusty clerks gave us the surly reception which their kind deal out in prosperous times, but by mollifying them with an extra display of obsequiousness and servility we finally got them to show us to the room which our boy had engaged for us.
1880, Mark Twain [pseudonym] (Samuel L[anghorne] Clemens), A Tramp Abroad; […], Hartford, Conn.: American Publishing Company; London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLCSynonyms: obsequience, obsequiosity, obsequity
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe quality of being obsequious; servile compliance.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishobsequyousnesse
- Englishobsequiousness
From Middle English obsequyousnesse, equivalent to obsequious + -ness.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian раболепие
- раболепие (rabolepie)quality of being obsequious
Dutch kruiperigheid, onderworpenheid
- kruiperigheidquality of being obsequious
- onderworpenheidquality of being obsequious
French obséquiosité
- obséquiositéquality of being obsequious
German Unterwürfigkeit
- Unterwürfigkeitquality of being obsequious
Greek δουλοπρέπεια
- δουλοπρέπεια (douloprépeia)quality of being obsequious
Irish spleá
- spleáquality of being obsequious
Italian cortigianeria, ossequiosità
- cortigianeriaquality of being obsequious
- ossequiositàquality of being obsequious
Japanese 媚び
- 媚び (kobi)quality of being obsequious
Korean 아첨 함
- 아첨 함 (acheom ham)quality of being obsequious
Latin obsequium, obsequentia
- obsequiumquality of being obsequious
- obsequentiaquality of being obsequious
Māori patipati
- patipatiquality of being obsequious
Scottish Gaelic ùmhlachd
- ùmhlachdquality of being obsequious
Spanish obsecuencia, obsequiosidad
- obsecuenciaquality of being obsequious
- obsequiosidadquality of being obsequious
Cite this entry
obsequiousness. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/obsequiousness
“obsequiousness.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/obsequiousness. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “obsequiousness,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/obsequiousness.
Source: obsequiousness on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.