as in sentimental
appealing to the emotions in an obvious and tiresome way
the cloying sentiments of so many Mother's Day cards
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cloying
Adam Campbell-Schmitt, Bon Appetit Magazine, 23 Oct. 2025
His frequent use of direct-to-camera narration initially seems like a cloying misstep (mostly because so many other movies have sucked the fun out of that device).
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 17 Oct. 2025
The cloying missive goes on to explain that Google didn't really want to ban all those accounts, but Biden administration officials just kept asking.
—Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica, 23 Sep. 2025
The sole respite from the cloying ooze was the strawberries, which tasted wholesome by comparison.
—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cloying
Adjective
Mocha landed on the more cloying end and the Salted Caramel much more reminiscent of asking your barista to add just one or two flavor shots.
—Adam Campbell-Schmitt, Bon Appetit Magazine, 23 Oct. 2025
His frequent use of direct-to-camera narration initially seems like a cloying misstep (mostly because so many other movies have sucked the fun out of that device).
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 17 Oct. 2025
The cloying missive goes on to explain that Google didn't really want to ban all those accounts, but Biden administration officials just kept asking.
—Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica, 23 Sep. 2025
The sole respite from the cloying ooze was the strawberries, which tasted wholesome by comparison.
—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cloying
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cloying
Adjective
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Musk appeared sentimental upon the announcement that Tesla would wind down production of the vehicles.—
Andrea Guzmán,
Austin American Statesman,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Crushow Herring, the art director of the Sidewalk Project, said Raines was both sentimental and protective of the homeless community.—
Rebecca Boone,
Fortune,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Even beyond the runtimes, there’s a strange, extratemporal feeling saturating this project.—
Dash Lewis,
Pitchfork,
29 Jan. 2026
-
The northern lights appeared to fill the entire sky, saturating the scene with vivid curtains of color dancing to the whims of Earth's magnetic field.—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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From a nervous system perspective, this makes the pattern especially sticky.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
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The formula melts into the skin in seconds and doesn’t feel sticky or heavy.—
Alyssa Grabinski,
PEOPLE,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Patient perspectives are core components of how benefits, harms, and proportionality are assessed, particularly for interventions aimed at alleviating suffering and improving quality of life.—
Amy Caruso Brown,
STAT,
30 Jan. 2026
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Picture a bunch of people descending in private jets to eat steak and appear on panels about alleviating poverty and fighting climate change (among other noble goals), while clinking cocktail glasses with other fellow rich people in an effort to make one another even richer.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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As the most populous and sprawling county in the state, Fulton has often been tagged by Republicans as the bad egg among elections offices for its past record of long lines, late returns and sloppy bookkeeping.—
Patricia Murphy,
AJC.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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Officials say the scammers' schemes range from the savvy to the sloppy -- and all are brazen.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Browns let go of Kevin Stefanski The Cleveland Browns kicked off the infamous day in the NFL calendar by relieving Kevin Stefanski of head coaching duties after six seasons in charge of the team, the franchise announced in a statement.—
Kevin Dotson,
CNN Money,
5 Jan. 2026
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Colorado doesn’t have any way of quantifying whether areas need more hospital beds, and health systems generally described their recent projects as bringing specific types of care closer to communities, rather than relieving a crunch on their existing facilities.—
Meg Wingerter,
Denver Post,
31 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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While most vanilla scents wear sugary on my skin, Dave’s blend of tonka bean, cocoa shell, and neroli create an elevated, complex take on the typically saccharine profile.—
Sophie Wirt,
InStyle,
28 Jan. 2026
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Channel childhood nostalgia with this 100% cotton bed skirt, featuring a rosy stripe that’s sweet but not saccharine.—
Shoko Wanger,
Architectural Digest,
20 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cloying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cloying. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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