yes man
3
5.5
- noun
- /jɛs mæn/
- Offensive
:
lameculo
- We've created college-educated yes-men; we haven't created thinkers.
- surrounded by yes men
- bunch of yes men
- many yes men
I can't find a yes man anywhere in Hollywood.
- I can't find a yes man anywhere in Hollywood.
- I think that's that's a big because I get so distracted and I'm a I'm like, I'm a bit of a yes man in a way.
- I've always been a massive yes man people pleaser and that was the biggest trouble it got me into.
- Most women can are not going to remain highly attracted to a yes man.
Examples
-
I did not vote for BHO, but he needs to get other sides in the cabinet and fewer "yes men."
Blog text (31) -
He surrounds himself with "yes men" and is too thin-skinned to handle real diplomacy.
Blog text (18) -
Your father... I think he saved you... from becoming me, a simple yes man.
-
You make some good points; however, yes men or not, Scott still must have seen the movie before it got released.
Blog text (24) -
He is beyond his parents' reach and now obviously has too many "yes men" around him.
Blog text (10) -
I can't find a yes man anywhere in Hollywood.
-
You don't want to surround yourself with yes-men.
-
Lucas has always seemed like a guy who surrounds himself with yes-men.
Blog text (22) -
A true patriot, and we don't need a yes man like Petraeus or Mullen.
Blog text (17) -
In a meeting full of yes men, no one dared to challenge the manager's questionable decisions.
Synonyms
3
9.9
A person who repeats a leader's or commentator's opinions without thinking
1
8.6
A person who nods and agrees with others without offering ideas
A person who often agrees with ideas and votes yes
Antonyms
How Compliant
Surface Forms
Morphology
yes + man
The compound 'yes man' is directly built from 'yes' (agreement) + 'man' (person), so a learner who knows both words can infer it denotes a person who habitually agrees. The pragmatic extension (agreeing to gain approval or avoid conflict) is a straightforward inference from that basic meaning and is commonly expressed similarly across languages, making it accessible to B1 learners.
Etymology
Yes man may come from the simple image of a man who always says yes to his boss or leader. Because he says 'yes' instead of giving honest views, the phrase means 'a person who always agrees with those in charge'.