treacly

adjective trea·cly \ ˈtrē-k(ə-)lē \

|Updated on: 14 Jul 2018

Definition of treacly

treaclier; treacliest

: resembling treacle (as in quality or appearance)

treacly sentimentality

Recent Examples of treacly from the Web

Don't believe the sweet, treacly greetings exchanged between Wind Gap residents for a second — these niceties mask the real dynamics at work.

— refinery29.com, "Meet The Cast & Characters Of Sharp Objects, HBO’s Darkest Show Yet," 5 July 2018
There's nary a believable moment, emotionally or otherwise, in No Postage Necessary, which also suffers from its overly treacly musical score composed by Closshey.

— frank scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, "'No Postage Necessary': Film Review," 4 July 2018
Stumble along to some treacly tune; lunge for safety.

— leah eskin, chicagotribune.com, "Duck subs for pork in easy carnitas tacos recipe," 23 May 2018
But the long, treacly musical breaks between scenes dampened momentum.

— john timpane, Philly.com, "'Sex with Strangers' at Montgomery Theatre: Who are you? And how can I ever know?," 15 Feb. 2018
It was crammed with more eerie imagery than usual for Spielberg, but was built around the more treacly parent-child dynamic his works often explore.

— david sims, The Atlantic, "Spielberg Can’t See Beyond the Director’s Greatness," 10 Oct. 2017
Yes, Everything Is Better with Pork Belly There’s nothing better than the treacly flavor of sticky and slightly sweet ribs.

— folgers®simply gourmet™, Bon Appetit, "These Asian-Inspired Dishes Are Perfect for Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner," 1 Sep. 2017
Ephron, argues Carlson, reinvigorated a dying genre, infusing the treacly tradition with wit, old-school sentimentality — and Meg Ryan.

— andrea mandell, USA TODAY, "Did Nora Ephron save the rom-com? A new books says yes," 28 Aug. 2017
This region, which in the last quarter of the 20th century largely devoted itself to the mass production of fruity, treacly Beaujolais Nouveau, had been left moribund by a steep decline in demand.

— eric asimov, New York Times, "New Beaujolais, but Not Nouveau," 6 Apr. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'treacly.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of treacly

1733

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Learn More about treacly

See words that rhyme with treacly

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up treacly? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

treacly

Definition of treacly

Recent Examples of treacly from the Web

First Known Use of treacly

Learn More about treacly

Seen and Heard

WORD OF THE DAY

imperturbable

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Test Your Vocabulary

Words at Play

The Good, The Bad, & The Semantically Imprecise - 8/17/2018

9 Words for Places People Call "Home"

'Banana Republic': A History

The Many Plurals of 'Octopus'

Ask the Editors

Ghost Word

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

Literally

Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

Word Games

Difficult Spelling Words Quiz

The Eponym Quiz

True or False?

Word Winder's CrossWinder

The Good, The Bad, & The Semantically Imprecise - 8/17/2018

Difficult Spelling Words Quiz

9 Words for Places People Call "Home"

Trending: Brennan: Trump's Claims are 'Hogwash'

Ghost Word

treacly

Definition of treacly

Recent Examples of treacly from the Web

First Known Use of treacly

Learn More about treacly

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

The Good, The Bad, & The Semantically Imprecise - 8/17/2018

Difficult Spelling Words Quiz

9 Words for Places People Call "Home"

Trending: Brennan: Trump's Claims are 'Hogwash'

Ghost Word