treacly
adjective
trea·cly
ˈtrē-k(ə-)lē 
treaclier; treacliest
: resembling treacle (as in quality or appearance)
treacly sentimentality
Examples of treacly in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Such scenes run the risk of being treacly, and some of the players are too young themselves to say anything perceptive about parenthood.
—
Beau Dure, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
But too few of those ideas yield satisfying conclusions, resulting in a drama that becomes treacly and insubstantial, reaching for a profundity that remains elusive.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2026
Based, pretty bizarrely, on some light verse by T. S. Eliot, the original production, with its treacly pop-rock score, was set inside a junk yard full of touchy-feely showoffs in kitten ears, competing to reach the Heaviside Layer, a celestial MacGuffin.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 16 Apr. 2026
This, more than the rather treacly spectacle of Barbra Streisand serenading the late Robert Redford, was the film history high point of the night.
—Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 20 Mar. 2026
But even here, her sincerity overcomes her weakness for sentimental flourishes, including Amine Bouhafa’s treacly score.
—Tim Grierson, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2026
This Little Women, with its charming cast (including Winona Ryder, Kirsten Dunst, and Claire Danes) and refreshingly modern script, is winsome without ever being treacly.
—The Atlantic Culture Desk, The Atlantic, 21 Dec. 2025
There are no washes of synths or arcing guitars, no treacly cues from Snow Patrol or the Frey.
—Jeremy D. Larson, Pitchfork, 11 Apr. 2025
The service finds its greatest collaborator for this aesthetic in Bill Lawrence, whose Ted Lasso has come to define a treacly quality associated with the brand.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2024
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Beau Dure, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
But too few of those ideas yield satisfying conclusions, resulting in a drama that becomes treacly and insubstantial, reaching for a profundity that remains elusive.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2026
Based, pretty bizarrely, on some light verse by T. S. Eliot, the original production, with its treacly pop-rock score, was set inside a junk yard full of touchy-feely showoffs in kitten ears, competing to reach the Heaviside Layer, a celestial MacGuffin.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 16 Apr. 2026
This, more than the rather treacly spectacle of Barbra Streisand serenading the late Robert Redford, was the film history high point of the night.
—Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 20 Mar. 2026
But even here, her sincerity overcomes her weakness for sentimental flourishes, including Amine Bouhafa’s treacly score.
—Tim Grierson, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2026
This Little Women, with its charming cast (including Winona Ryder, Kirsten Dunst, and Claire Danes) and refreshingly modern script, is winsome without ever being treacly.
—The Atlantic Culture Desk, The Atlantic, 21 Dec. 2025
There are no washes of synths or arcing guitars, no treacly cues from Snow Patrol or the Frey.
—Jeremy D. Larson, Pitchfork, 11 Apr. 2025
The service finds its greatest collaborator for this aesthetic in Bill Lawrence, whose Ted Lasso has come to define a treacly quality associated with the brand.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Treacly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/treacly. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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