sycophancy
noun
sy·co·phan·cy
ˈsi-kə-fən(t)-sē 
also ˈsī-,
-ˌfan(t)-
: obsequious flattery
also
: the character or behavior of a sycophant
Examples of sycophancy in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
TikTok's masterclass in sycophancy is an excellent example of what dealmaking in the Trump era looks like in practice.
—
Felix Salmon, Axios, 21 Jan. 2025
Their approach vacillates between resentful disdain or pandering sycophancy, both of which continually backfire on them.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Steven Tian, TIME, 17 Jan. 2025
A certain amount of sycophancy toward the more bizarre elements of the coalition is also common.
—Benjamin Mazer, The Atlantic, 25 Nov. 2024
Other tests showed that models can show what’s called a sycophancy bias — the tendency of an LLM to backpedal on a correct answer to please the user.
—Stephen Ornes, Quanta Magazine, 8 Nov. 2024
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Felix Salmon, Axios, 21 Jan. 2025
Their approach vacillates between resentful disdain or pandering sycophancy, both of which continually backfire on them.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Steven Tian, TIME, 17 Jan. 2025
A certain amount of sycophancy toward the more bizarre elements of the coalition is also common.
—Benjamin Mazer, The Atlantic, 25 Nov. 2024
Other tests showed that models can show what’s called a sycophancy bias — the tendency of an LLM to backpedal on a correct answer to please the user.
—Stephen Ornes, Quanta Magazine, 8 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for sycophancy
Dictionary Entries Near sycophancy
Cite this Entry
“Sycophancy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sycophancy. Accessed 24 Jan. 2025.
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