fawning
adjective
[ ˈfɔːnɪŋ ]
• displaying exaggerated flattery or affection; obsequious.
• "fawning adoration"
fawn
verb
• (of a deer) produce young.
• "the forest was closed for hunting when the does were fawning"
Origin:
late Middle English: from Old French faon, based on Latin fetus ‘offspring’; compare with fetus.
fawn
verb
• (of a person) give a servile display of exaggerated flattery or affection, typically in order to gain favour.
Similar:
be obsequious to,
be sycophantic to,
be servile to,
curry favour with,
pay court to,
play up to,
crawl to,
creep to,
ingratiate oneself with,
dance attendance on,
fall over oneself for,
kowtow to,
toady to,
truckle to,
bow and scrape before,
grovel before,
cringe before,
abase oneself before,
flatter,
praise,
sing the praises of,
praise to the skies,
praise to excess,
eulogize,
sweet-talk,
soft-soap,
brown-nose,
suck up to,
make up to,
smarm around,
be all over,
fall all over,
butter up,
lick someone's boots,
rub up the right way,
lay it on thick,
lay it on with a trowel,
smoodge to,
obsequious,
servile,
sycophantic,
flattering,
ingratiating,
unctuous,
oleaginous,
oily,
toadyish,
slavish,
bowing and scraping,
grovelling,
abject,
crawling,
creeping,
cringing,
prostrate,
Uriah Heepish,
bootlicking,
smarmy,
slimy,
sucky,
soapy,
brown-nosing,
saponaceous,
kiss someone's arse,
kiss someone's ass,
arse-kissing,
bum-sucking,
kiss-ass,
ass-kissing,
suckholing,
Origin:
Old English fagnian ‘make or be glad’, of Germanic origin; related to fain.
