servile
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servile
- /ˈsɜː(ɹ)ˌvaɪl/ UK
- /ˈsəɹ.vəl/ US
- /ˈsəɹˌvaɪl/ US
Where it comes from
From Middle English servyle, from Old French servil, servile, from Latin servīlis, from servus (“slave”). By surface analysis, serve + -ile.
adjective more servile · most servile
- Excessively eager to please; obsequious. British “subjects” (not citizens, note) are just that: gleefully servile to the monarchy’s institutionalised inequality...
-
Slavish or submissive.
servile flattery servile obedience
Similar: abject · Opposite: arrogant, authoritarian
-
Of or pertaining to slaves or slavery.
Similar: abject · Opposite: arrogant, authoritarian
- Not belonging to the original root. a servile letter
- Not sounded, but serving to lengthen the preceding vowel, like the e in tune.
Similar: abject, duteous, meek, servile, slavish, submissive, subservient · Opposite: arrogant, bossy
noun serviles
- An element which forms no part of the original root.
- A slave; a menial.
Opposite: radical
Thesaurus
adjective
Similar: abject, duteous, meek, servile, slavish, submissive, subservient · Opposite: arrogant, bossy
noun
Opposite: radical
Translations
Every language
adj slavish or submissive
| Español | servil |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 卑屈な hikutsu na |
| 中文 | 低三下四 dīsānxiàsì |
| Português | servil |
| Deutsch | sklavisch, unterwürfig, servil, hündisch |
| Italiano | servile, adulatore, leccapiedi |
| Ελληνικά | δουλικός doulikós |
| Русский | подобостра́стный podobostrástnyj, раболе́пный rabolépnyj, холо́пский xolópskij |
Talk about this word "servile." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/servile. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. servile. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/servile "servile." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/servile.Cite this
@misc{servile_2026,
title = {servile},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/servile},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
