slavelike

8.2

Being like a person forced to obey and work without freedom

adjective
/ˈsleɪvˌlaɪk/

Offensive

: servil

Her slavelike devotion to perfectionism started to concern her friends.

Examples

He worked in a slavelike manner, never questioning his boss.
He performed his duties in a slavelike manner, never questioning orders from his employer.
The workers complained about the slavelike conditions in the factory.
The slavelike conditions of the factory shocked the inspectors.
The factory's workers endured slavelike conditions, forced to work long hours without breaks.
Many migrants find themselves in slavelike situations, unable to leave due to debt and fear.
The novel depicts a character living in slavelike servitude, constantly obeying her cruel master.

Synonyms

submissive

vsslavelike

38 5.1

Willing to obey others and not argue

suggests a likeness to very low status rather than mere obedience

subservient

vsslavelike

14 7.6

Too willing to obey and please people with power

implies resemblance to very low status rather than just helping willingly

servile

vsslavelike

2 8.4

Having to do with slaves or the kind of work they do

is more about resembling very low status with intense obedience

Antonyms

independent

984 2.3

Not controlled by others

assertive

42 4.2

Showing confidence when saying what you want or think

How Servile

slavelike

Offensive

8.2

subservient

14 7.6

submissive

38 5.1

obedient

45 1.0

independent

984 2.3

Surface Forms

slavelike positive

Morphology

slavelike = slave (transparent) = slave + like

The adjective is directly formed from the noun 'slave' plus the productive suffix '-like', meaning 'resembling a slave'.

Etymology

Slavelike is made from slave and the ending -like. The word slave comes from a word that meant 'Slav', because many Slavic people were forced into slavery long ago. So slavelike means 'like a slave', very obedient or without freedom.