Assmosis means: The act of gaining favour or advantage through sycophancy.. It is informal slang, fine in casual speech but not suited to formal contexts. It carries sexual or vulgar connotations; not alarming on its own but worth understanding the context your teen heard it in. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
assmosis
(vulgar, slang) The act of gaining favour or advantage through sycophancy.
Etymology timeline
Born ~1999 · no dated citations yetMillennial / early-internet eraSee decade cohort →
Definitions
Avoid at work
#1·Apr 26, 2026
(vulgar, slang) The act of gaining favour or advantage through sycophancy.
On the professional end, some teachers can become disillusioned by the political game playing in public schools (you know, how certain teachers get promotions by "assmosis" rather than hard work).
Origin: . Compare ass-kissing and ass-licking. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
For parents
Assmosis means: The act of gaining favour or advantage through sycophancy.. It is informal slang, fine in casual speech but not suited to formal contexts. It carries sexual or vulgar connotations; not alarming on its own but worth understanding the context your teen heard it in. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
For ESL learners
assmosis means: The act of gaining favour or advantage through sycophancy.. Register: very informal, often derogatory or vulgar. Avoid in formal, business, academic, or polite writing. Even in casual speech the word can offend and is best left out of a learner's active vocabulary. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself.
Cluster: general
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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Other words near "assmosis" (A)
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Related terms
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Semantically related
- kiss-ass64%
(North America, slang) An obsequious person who tries to win the favor of someone, usually their superior.
- ass-kisser64%
(North America, slang, vulgar) Someone who kisses ass (who acts obsequiously in order to gain another's favor).
- kiss someone's ass64%
(idiomatic, slang) To flatter someone (especially a superior) in an obsequious manner, and to support their every opinion to gain their favor.
- asslicky64%
Of a person, tending to curry favor with those in power in order to secure some reward, benefit or perk.
- ass sucker62%
A vulgar insult used to describe someone who is excessively subservient, sycophantic, or obsequious — typically toward a person in authority. Synonymous with 'brown-noser' or 'ass-kisser' in meaning, though more sexually crude in phrasing. Typically used to express contempt for someone perceived as ingratiating themselves for personal gain. Common in workplace grumbling and schoolyard insults. The term can also be used as a general-purpose vulgar insult independent of its literal meaning.