Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

obsequiousness

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.42 in modern English

Syllables: ob-se-quious-ness
IPA

25

Scrabble Score

14

Letters

4

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The quality of being obsequious; servile compliance.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

"The crusty portier and the crusty clerks gave us the surly reception which their kind deal out in prosperous times, but by mollifying them with an extra display of obsequiousness and servility we finally got them to show us to the room which our boy had engaged for us."
"The oleaginous Mike Pence, with his talent for toadyism and appetite for obsequiousness, could, Trump knew, become America’s most repulsive public figure."

Etymology

From Middle English obsequyousnesse, equivalent to obsequious + -ness.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: *sekʷ-, obsequyousnesse
Suffix: obsequious

Usage

Uncountable

Inflected Forms

obsequiousnesses (plural)

Derived Forms

inobsequiousness

Synonyms

obsequience obsequiosity obsequity servility subservience

Questions

What does obsequiousness mean?: The quality of being obsequious; servile compliance.
Where does obsequiousness come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce obsequiousness

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “obsequiousness”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “obsequiousness”.
Repeat and practice — Say “obsequiousness” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.