Words / C2

GROVL/ˈɡrɒvl/

To grovel is to show humiliating deference, or to crawl low: grovel for forgiveness, grovel on the floor. Beg and crawl are everyday; kowtow (already in the dictionary) is a close formal cousin. Do not grovel in the minutes instead of naming the missing date.

Meaning

To show too much respect in a way that humiliates you, or to crawl low.

Examples

• “Do not grovel in the minutes; name the missing date.”
• “Beg is everyday. Kowtow is ritualised deference (already in C2). Crawl is physical. An apology with a correction is dignity; grovelling without a fact is theatre. You grovel to a person, not to a dataset.”

Good to know

Cringe; abase yourself. Everyday: beg / crawl. Close: kowtow. An apology plus a date is not grovelling.

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