obsequious
- Excessively eager to serve or please, in a way that feels fawning or servile.
In a sentence
- The obsequious assistant laughed at every one of the boss's jokes, no matter how flat.
- Diplomats sometimes walk a fine line between being polite and appearing obsequious.
Usage note. Obsequious is almost always pejorative; it suggests the flattery or compliance is insincere and self-serving rather than genuinely respectful.
Where it comes from
English obsequious · entered English late 15th c.
From Latin obsequiosus ('compliant, accommodating'), derived from obsequium ('compliance'), from obsequi ('to follow, comply with'), combining ob- ('toward') and sequi ('to follow'). It entered English in the late 15th century; its negative connotation of sycophancy developed through the 16th and 17th centuries.