What does brownnoser mean?
A brownnoser is a person who flatters and fawns over someone in a position of authority — a boss, teacher, or official — in order to win favor, preferment, or protection. The term is informal and distinctly pejorative: it implies not merely politeness but insincere, self-serving servility, and calling someone a brownnoser is almost always an insult. The expression arose in American slang in the twentieth century, its crude imagery suggesting that the sycophant's nose gets so close to a superior's backside that it turns brown; the verb form "to brown-nose" predates the noun. Common near-synonyms include sycophant, toady, bootlicker, and suck-up, with "sycophant" serving as the more formal, Latinate equivalent suitable for professional writing. The word appears frequently in discussions of office politics and workplace culture, where it captures a universally recognized figure: the colleague whose career advances through flattery rather than ability. Its vividness makes it a staple of informal criticism.
nounA person who flatters or fawns over someone in authority in order to gain favor, especially in a workplace. It is an informal, derogatory term implying insincere servility.
- A person who flatters or behaves obsequiously toward someone in authority in order to gain advantage or favor.
"Everyone knew he was the boss's brownnoser, always the first to laugh at his jokes."
"She got promoted not on merit, colleagues whispered, but because she was the biggest brownnoser in the department."
"Nobody trusted his glowing praise of the director — he had a reputation as a shameless brownnoser."
Standard plural; used when referring to multiple such people.
"The meeting was full of brownnosers competing for the CEO's attention."
The word is a euphemistic reference to the image of a sycophant's nose getting so close to a superior's backside that it turns brown.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of brownnoser
"Brownnoser" derives from the American slang verb "brown-nose," which emerged in the early twentieth century, likely in military or prison slang before spreading into general workplace use. The verb combines "brown" and "nose" in a scatological image: one whose nose is so persistently pressed against a superior's backside that it becomes stained brown. The agent noun "brownnoser," formed with the suffix "-er," denotes the person who performs this act of obsequious flattery. It has no cognates in other languages, though many languages have their own vivid equivalents for the same social figure.
Related word forms
How brownnoser is actually used
Informal and mildly vulgar in origin; best avoided in formal writing, where 'sycophant' is a more neutral alternative. Strongly negative connotation.
Easily confused with brownnoser
"Brown-nose" is the verb form meaning to flatter obsequiously, while "brownnoser" is the noun denoting the person who does it.