wormlike
- adjective
- /ˈwɜrmˌlaɪk/
- Offensive
:
servil
- In discussions, he often took a wormlike stance, nodding submissively instead of sharing his opinions.
Examples
-
His wormlike behavior at work made it difficult for him to stand up for his ideas.
-
She adopted a wormlike attitude, always agreeing with everyone to avoid conflict.
-
Microdictyon and Halkieria are wormlike only in this functional meaning, and no anatomical plan is more common and more often evolved by radically different creatures.
Academic text (1990) -
Myrmeen barely heard the sizzle and the crack as a burst of reddish-blue light erupted from the mage's hands and struck the wormlike man.
Fiction book (1992)
Synonyms
1
8.7
Being weak and afraid to stand up for yourself
1
7.4
Acting too eager to please and obey someone, often seeming weak
1
6.7
Being too afraid and eager to please others
Antonyms
How Submissive
- Formal
7
9.3
3
7.4
- Offensive
38
5.1
12
4.4
60
3.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Wormlike is also used about people. Because worm gives the picture of a small, powerless creature, wormlike can mean 'very submissive' or 'not standing up for oneself', which is why it describes someone who always obeys and never speaks up.