Definitions
- Describing a person who is begging for forgiveness or mercy. - Referring to someone who is showing excessive humility or submission. - Talking about a person who is behaving in a servile or subservient manner.
- Describing a person who is excessively eager to please or serve others. - Referring to someone who is showing an exaggerated deference or flattery towards someone in authority. - Talking about a person who is behaving in a fawning or sycophantic manner.
List of Similarities
- 1Both words describe behavior that is subservient or overly submissive.
- 2Both words can be used to describe someone who is trying too hard to please or gain favor.
- 3Both words have negative connotations and imply insincerity or lack of self-respect.
- 4Both words are more likely to be used in formal or literary contexts than in everyday speech.
What is the difference?
- 1Intensity: Grovelling implies a more extreme level of submission or humility than obsequious.
- 2Purpose: Grovelling often involves begging for forgiveness or mercy, while obsequious is more focused on gaining favor or approval.
- 3Attitude: Grovelling suggests a more pitiful or desperate attitude, while obsequious implies a more calculated or insincere attitude.
- 4Physicality: Grovelling can involve physical gestures such as kneeling or bowing, while obsequious is more focused on verbal flattery or deference.
- 5Frequency: Obsequious is a more commonly used word than grovelling in everyday language.
Remember this!
Grovelling and obsequious are both words that describe behavior that is overly submissive or servile. However, grovelling implies a more extreme level of submission, often involving begging for forgiveness or mercy, while obsequious is more focused on gaining favor or approval through flattery or deference. Both words have negative connotations and are more likely to be used in formal or literary contexts than in everyday speech.
