cloying

cloy·ing

adj \ˈklȯi-iŋ, ˈklȯiŋ\

Definition of CLOYING

: disgusting or distasteful by reason of excess <cloying sweetness>; also : excessively sweet or sentimental <a cloying romantic comedy>

— cloy·ing·ly adverb

Examples of CLOYING

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

First Known Use of CLOYING

1594

Related to CLOYING

Synonyms: chocolate-box, corny, drippy, fruity, gooey, lovey-dovey, maudlin, mawkish, mushy, novelettish, saccharine, sappy, schmaltzy, sentimental, sloppy, slushy, soppy, soupy, spoony (or spooney), sticky, sugarcoated, sugary, wet

Antonyms: unsentimental

Related Words: dreamy, misty-eyed, moonstruck, moony, nostalgic, starry-eyed; feel-good, fuzzy; melodramatic, soap-operatic, soapy, sudsy; flat, insipid, soft-boiled, tasteless, vapid, watery; cutesy, twee [chiefly British]

Near Antonyms: unadulterated, unvarnished; antisentimental, cynical, hard-boiled, hard-edged, hardheaded

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