cloying

adjective

cloy·ing ˈklȯi-iŋ

ˈklȯiŋ

Synonyms of cloying next

: disgusting or distasteful by reason of excess

cloying sweetness

also : excessively sweet or sentimental

a cloying romantic comedy

Her coyness grows cloying after a while … —

Elysa Gardner

cloyingly adverb

Did you know?

We won’t bore you with the sappy tale behind the word cloying, because happily, there isn’t one. That’s because its history isn’t sweet, but rather tough as nails. Cloying comes from the verb cloy, which had among its earliest uses the meaning (to quote the Oxford English Dictionary) “to render [a gun] useless by driving a spike or plug into the touch-hole.” This ultra-specific sense of clogging and stuffing arose alongside both broader and figurative ones, including “to fill or choke up,” and cloy has since come to mean “to supply or indulge to excess.” Accordingly, cloying implies a nauseating amount of something that might be pleasing in smaller doses, especially both literal and metaphorical sweetness.

Examples of cloying in a Sentence

After a while, the softness of his voice becomes cloying. the cloying sentiments of so many Mother's Day cards

Recent Examples on the Web Six-word review: Fruity — but not cloying — refreshing spritzer. —

Tasha Tsiaperas, Axios, 4 Oct. 2024 Although more intricate and worked than previous collections, the pieces reflect a coherent design evolution that results in an innovative aesthetic that’s never cloying. —

Kate Matthams, Forbes, 13 Sep. 2024 The Christmas scent drew complaints for its cloying cinnamon notes. —

Jake Offenhartz, The New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2024 It’s sweetened with stevia but doesn’t have any of that bitter, cloying aftertaste. —

Amanda Shapiro, Bon Appétit, 16 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for cloying

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cloying.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.