World Languages Lexicon
10 Language-to-English DictionariesKiss-ass
/ˈkɪs.æs/Comprehensive Definitions & Senses
2 senses- 1
A person who is excessively agreeable or obsequious to someone in authority, especially in order to gain favor or advantage.
"He is such a kiss-ass that he always offers to bring the boss coffee."
- 1
Characterized by or involving obsequious flattery or sycophancy.
"She gave a kiss-ass speech praising the director's mediocre film."
Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum
Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology
Derived from the literal action of kissing someone's posterior as an extreme gesture of subservience, originating in American slang around the early 20th century. The term evolved from a verbal phrase into a compound noun and adjective describing obsequious behavior aimed at gaining favor from authority figures.
Which of the following is the closest synonym for "Kiss-ass"?
10 Global Lexicons: How "Kiss-ass" is said worldwide
Click any language below to open its dedicated Language to English dictionary page with native script & transliteration
léche-bottes
Transliteration: leesh-bot
"Il est connu comme un vénal léche-bottes au bureau."
Schleimer
Transliteration: shly-mer
"Der totale Schleimer will nur eine Beförderung."
leccapiedi
Transliteration: lek-ka-pye-di
"Non sopporto quel leccapiedi del mio collega."
chupamedias
Transliteration: choo-pa-meh-dyas
"El chupamedias siempre le lleva regalos al jefe."
puxa-saco
Transliteration: poo-shah sah-koo
"Ele é um puxa-saco irritante com o gerente."
चापलूस
Transliteration: chaploos
"वह बॉस का हमेशा चापलूस बना रहता है।"
马屁精
Transliteration: mǎ pì jīng
"办公室里的那个马屁精总是讨好经理。"
아첨꾼
Transliteration: ajeomkkun
"그는 상사에게만 굽신거리는 아첨꾼이다."
ゴマ摺り
Transliteration: gomasuri
Script: ごますり
"彼は上司への露骨なごま摺りで出世した。"
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