grovelling

The act of grovelling — crawling, begging, or debasing yourself before someone in a humiliating display of submission or desperate apology. Whether literal (face-down on the floor) or figurative (sending the third apologetic text in an hour), grovelling is undignified by definition. In everyday slang, accusing someone of grovelling is a pointed observation that they've abandoned all self-respect in pursuit of forgiveness, favor, or approval. It's often used with contempt, sometimes with exasperated sympathy.