sycophant
含义: A person who acts obsequiously towards someone important in order to gain advantage; a servile flatterer.
Sycophant describes a person who fawns over those in power, offering insincere praise and agreement to curry favour. The word is strongly pejorative, implying a lack of integrity, self-respect, and genuine opinion. It is commonly used in political commentary, workplace dynamics, and literary criticism. Sycophants are often contrasted with honest advisers or loyal critics. The adjective form is 'sycophantic' and the behaviour is 'sycophancy.' Common collocations include 'shameless sycophant,' 'surrounded by sycophants,' and 'sycophantic behaviour.'
例句
- The board was filled with sycophants who told the chairman only what he wanted to hear. 董事会里全是谄媚者,只告诉董事长他想听的话。La junta estaba repleta de aduladores que solo decían al presidente lo que quería oír.取締役会はイエスマンばかりで、会長に耳障りの良い言葉しか言わなかった。이사회는 회장이 듣고 싶어 하는 말만 하는 아첨꾼들로 가득 차 있었다.
- She had no time for sycophants and actively sought out colleagues who would challenge her ideas. 她容不下马屁精,积极寻找敢于挑战她观点的同事。No tenía tiempo para aduladores y buscaba activamente colegas que cuestionasen sus ideas.彼女は追従者を相手にする暇はなく、自分の考えに異議を唱えてくれる同僚を積極的に求めた。그녀는 아첨꾼을 상대할 시간이 없었고, 자신의 생각에 이의를 제기해 줄 동료를 적극적으로 찾았다.
- The memoir painted a devastating portrait of the court as a nest of sycophants and intriguers. 那本回忆录将宫廷描绘为一个谄媚者和阴谋家的巢穴,笔触毁灭性地深刻。Las memorias trazaban un retrato demoledor de la corte como un nido de aduladores e intrigantes.その回顧録は、宮廷を追従者と陰謀家の巣窟として容赦なく描き出していた。그 회고록은 궁정을 아첨꾼과 음모가들의 소굴로 가차 없이 묘사했다.
发音
用法指南
语境: literary, media, professional
语气: negative
起源与历史
From Latin sycophanta, from Greek sykophantes (informer, slanderer), possibly from sykon (fig) and phainein (to show). The original meaning may relate to informing against illegal fig exporters in ancient Athens, though this etymology is debated. The shift to the modern sense of a flatterer occurred in English by the 16th century.
文化背景
Era: Modern
Generation: All ages
Social background: Universal
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