Of or pertaining to a servant or slave; befitting a servant or a slave; proceeding from dependence; hence, meanly submissive; slavish; mean; cringing; fawning; as, servile flattery; servile fear; servile obedience. [1913 Webster]
"She must bend the servile knee." [1913 Webster]

"Fearing dying pays death servile breath." [1913 Webster]
Held in subjection; dependent; enslaved. [1913 Webster]
"Even fortune rules no more, O servile land!" [1913 Webster]
Not belonging to the original root; as, a servile letter. [1913 Webster]

servile, n.

An element which forms no part of the original root; -- opposed to radical. [1913 Webster]

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OXFORD DICTIONARY

servile, adj.
1 of or being or like a slave or slaves.
2 slavish, fawning; completely dependent.

Derivative

servilely adv. servility n.

Etymology

ME f. L servilis f. servus slave

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THESAURUS

servile

abject, abused, accepting, acquiescent, agreeable, apple-polishing, ass-kissing, assenting, attendant, attending, base, bootlicking, browbeaten, brown-nosing, client, common, complaisant, compliable, compliant, complying, consenting, craven, cringing, crouching, deferential, demeaning, dependent, despicable, disadvantaged, downtrod, downtrodden, fawning, feudal, feudatory, flattering, ground down, groveling, helping, henpecked, humble, ignoble, in leading strings, in the shade, inferior, infra dig, ingratiating, junior, less, lesser, liege, low, lower, lowly, mean, mean-spirited, menial, ministering, minor, misused, modest, nondissenting, nonresistant, nonresisting, nonresistive, obedient, obeisant, obsequious, on bended knee, oppressed, ordered around, ordinary, overborne, passive, prone, prostrate, regimented, resigned, scurvy, second rank, second string, secondary, serving, servitorial, slavish, slimy, smarmy, sordid, sub, subaltern, subject, submissive, subordinate, subservient, supine, sycophantic, sycophantish, third rank, third string, toadish, toadying, toadyish, trampled, tributary, truckling, tyrannized, ugly, unassertive, uncomplaining, unctuous, underprivileged, unmanned, unresistant, unresisting, vassal, vile, vulgar, waiting, wheedling

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ROGET THESAURUS

servile

Humility

N humility, humbleness, meekness, lowness, lowliness, lowlihood, abasement, self-abasement, submission, resignation, condescension, affability, modesty, verecundity, blush, suffusion, confusion, sense of shame, sense of disgrace, humiliation, mortification, let down, set down, humble, lowly, meek, modest, humble minded, sober-minded, unoffended, submissive, servile, condescending, affable, humbled, bowed down, resigned, abashed, ashamed, dashed, out of countenance, down in the mouth, down on one's knees, down on one's marrowbones, down on one's uppers, humbled in the dust, browbeaten, chapfallen, crestfallen, dumfoundered, flabbergasted, shorn of one's glory, with downcast eyes, with bated breath, with bended knee, on all fours, on one's feet, under correction, with due deference, I am your obedient servant, I am your very humble servant, my service to you, da locum melioribus, parvum parva decent.

Servility

N servility, slavery, obsequiousness, subserviency, abasement, prostration, prosternation, genuflection, fawning, tuft- hunting, timeserving, flunkeyism, sycophancy, humility, sycophant, parasite, toad, toady, toad-eater, tufthunter, snob, flunky, flunkey, yes-man, lapdog, spaniel, lickspittle, smell-feast, Graeculus esuriens, hanger on, cavaliere servente, led captain, carpet knight, timeserver, fortune hunter, Vicar of Bray, Sir- Pertinax, Max Sycophant, pickthank, flatterer, doer of dirty work, ame damnee, tool, reptile, slave, courtier, beat, dead beat, doughface, heeler, homme de cour, sponger, sucker, tagtail, truckler, servile, obsequious, supple, supple as a glove, soapy, oily, pliant, cringing, abased, dough-faced, fawning, slavish, groveling, sniveling, mealy-mouthed, beggarly, sycophantic, parasitical, abject, prostrate, down on ones marrowbones, base, mean, sneaking, crouching, hat in hand, cap in hand.

Flattery

N flattery, adulation, gloze, blandishment, blandiloquence, cajolery, fawning, wheedling, captation, coquetry, obsequiousness, sycophancy, flunkeyism, toadeating, tuft- hunting, snobbishness, incense, honeyed words, flummery, bunkum, buncombe, blarney, placebo, butter, soft soap, soft sawder, rose water, voice of the charmer, mouth honor, lip homage, euphemism, unctuousness, flattering, adulatory, mealy-mouthed, honey-mouthed, honeyed, smooth, smooth-tongued, soapy, oily, unctuous, blandiloquent, specious, fine-spoken, fair spoken, plausible, servile, sycophantic, fulsome, courtierly, courtier-like, ad captandum.

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