Meaning
A person who agrees with everything a superior or authority figure says, regardless of their own actual opinion.
It’s a mildly contemptuous label, implying a lack of independent judgment or the courage to disagree.
Origin
The term is documented from 1911, in an account of a “Liars’ Club” published in the Winnipeg Tribune on March 13 of that year, describing a member whose role was to “verify everything that the speaker asserts.” It gained much wider circulation in early 1912 through a story in Century Magazine warning of the business risk of surrounding oneself only with agreeable subordinates who never challenge a decision-maker’s judgment — a warning that gave the word its lasting association with corporate and workplace culture rather than any other setting.
Examples
Nobody respects him, he’s just a yes-man.
The board is full of yes-men who never question the CEO.
She refuses to be a yes-man, even when it costs her.
A: Why didn’t anyone object to the plan? B: They’re all yes-men.
Frequently asked questions
What does 'Yes-man' mean?
A person who agrees with everything a superior or authority figure says, regardless of their own actual opinion.
It’s a mildly contemptuous label, implying a lack of independent judgment or the courage to disagree.