Word a Day
obsequious
What does obsequious mean?
obsequious (adjective): excessively eager and attentive to please or to obey instructions; fawning, subservient, servile.
Definition: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
How do you use obsequious in a sentence?
- Obsequious people make me feel uncomfortable. (Tatoeba sentence #4416624 by patgfisher, CC BY 2.0 FR)
How do you pronounce obsequious?
/əbˈsikwiəs/ (IPA, American English). The app reads every word aloud.
Where does obsequious come from?
From Middle English obsequyous, from Latin obsequiōsus (“complaisant, obsequious”).
Etymology: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Test yourself: do you know “obsequious”?
Tap an answer to check it. The same questions the app asks.
What does “obsequious” mean?
excessively eager and attentive to please or to obey instructions; fawning, subservient, servile
Right! That's what “obsequious” means.
of speech or writing, a phrase, etc.: uninteresting and unoriginal from being repeated too often
Not quite: that's what hackneyed means.
giving only a slight impression; elusive, indistinct; also, skillfully restrained or understated
Not quite: that's what subtle means.
very broad; pertaining or appropriate to large classes or groups as opposed to specific instances
Not quite: that's what generic means.
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