Suck-up

A suck-up is a person who ingratiates themselves with someone in authority, often through excessive flattery or servility. This behavior is generally perceived negatively and is associated with a lack of authenticity in personal or professional relationships. A suck-up may seek to gain favor or advancement by compromising their own principles or by pandering to the desires of superiors. This term is informal and can imply a level of disdain for the behavior it describes.

Suck-up meaning with examples

• During the team meeting, it was painfully obvious who the suck-up was. Jamie spent the entire hour extolling the manager's virtues, even interjecting compliments that seemed rehearsed. While it may have raised his profile temporarily, others noticed that his words lacked genuine sentiment, leaving colleagues questioning his authenticity.
• At the office, Jenna always tries to be a suck-up to her boss. Whenever department reports are discussed, she makes sure to highlight how her manager’s strategies were pivotal, even when it was her own work that drove results. This behavior doesn’t fool everyone, but she seems to believe that it will eventually earn her a promotion.
• Suck-ups can be found in every workplace, and they often disrupt team dynamics. For instance, during project reviews, Mark would constantly shower accolades on the department head, leading to frustration among peers. This created a toxic environment where genuine contributions were overlooked in favor of superficial praise.
• In school, the suck-up student was clearly evident in his attempts to impress the teachers. By always raising his hand to agree with their opinions and offering to help after class, he hoped to gain preferential treatment in grading. Other students couldn’t take him seriously and often joked about his lack of originality.
• At the social gathering, the new employee's suck-up tendencies didn’t go unnoticed. He repeatedly dropped names of higher-ups and shared exaggerated stories of his accomplishments, seemingly to impress the CEO present. The attempt backfired, leading to awkward conversations instead of the admiration he sought.