Advanced and Proficiency Vocabulary for Exams(e.g.GRE, Banks, Civil Services, SAT / LSAT). For IELTS/TOEFL, and everyday spoken vocabulary, go to our Spoken Vocabulary Database.
If a person is ‘servile’, they are compliant and obedient in a fawning, submissive way. Sometimes this is a tactic to win favour, other times it is as a result of a character flaw. Either way, the word is always used negatively and with disapproval. A good way to remember how to use it is to link ‘servile’ with ‘servant’, both of which have their roots in the Latin word servus meaning ‘slave’.
Exam DB | Spoken DB | Other | |
---|---|---|---|
Synonyms | obsequioussycophanticsubservient | ||
Antonyms | dismissive, imperious, domineering, |
It is important for you to try and impress the prospective client without appearing in any way servile.
Sandra is fiercely loyal but without any hint of servility. If she thinks I have done something wrong she is always quick to tell me.
Gary thinks that his servile attitude to the boss will get him that promotion. He’s forgetting that nobody respects a person who acts that way.