cloy

Synonym Chooser

How is the word cloy different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of cloy are glut, gorge, pall, sate, satiate, and surfeit. While all these words mean "to fill to repletion," cloy stresses the disgust or boredom resulting from such surfeiting.

sentimental pictures that cloy after a while

When is glut a more appropriate choice than cloy?

The synonyms glut and cloy are sometimes interchangeable, but glut implies excess in feeding or supplying.

a market glutted with diet books

When could gorge be used to replace cloy?

In some situations, the words gorge and cloy are roughly equivalent. However, gorge suggests glutting to the point of bursting or choking.

gorged themselves with chocolate

When would pall be a good substitute for cloy?

While the synonyms pall and cloy are close in meaning, pall emphasizes the loss of ability to stimulate interest or appetite.

a life of leisure eventually begins to pall

How do satiate and sate relate to one another, in the sense of cloy?

Both satiate and sate may sometimes imply only complete satisfaction but more often suggest repletion that has destroyed interest or desire.

years of globe-trotting had satiated their interest in travel
readers were sated with sensationalistic stories

When is it sensible to use surfeit instead of cloy?

The meanings of surfeit and cloy largely overlap; however, surfeit implies a nauseating repletion.

surfeited themselves with junk food

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cloy But look out for An Irish Goodbye, the only English-language nominee, which is just cloying enough to win. Vulture, 10 Mar. 2023 The acidity is well balanced with the sweetness so as not to be cloying at all. Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 3 Mar. 2023 Lengua gyutan, or beef tongue, soaked in a creamy mushroom gravy, seemed destined to cloy but turned out to be smooth, balanced, and savory. Jiayang Fan, The New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2022 But before such moments can cloy, Arbery usefully complicates his case. New York Times, 22 June 2022 See All Example Sentences for cloy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cloy
Verb
  • More than 600 missiles and drones, civilian infrastructure hit, air defenses saturated.
    Brett Erickson, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Accessorize With a Fall Palette Rich, warm, and saturated, fall’s color scheme is distinct and unequivocally nature-inspired.
    Quincy Bulin, Southern Living, 3 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Even so, the £125m British-record fee received for Isak (which the club insist is actually worth £130m to them due to solidarity payments being waived) is an astronomical fee and should alleviate any concerns about the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules for several windows to come.
    James McNicholas, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
  • That simplifies the process for fans, but probably doesn’t alleviate the sticker shock.
    Brendan Coffey, Sportico.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Feed The Soul Turning on the oven is the best way to welcome a new neighbor or lighten the load when someone is going through a tough time.
    Libby Monteith Minor, Southern Living, 7 Sep. 2025
  • Decades later, when pollution let up, their wings lightened again.
    Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 7 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Benson was gratified that a buyer picked up one of his pieces for a gift.
    Linda Girardi, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2025
  • But Julia Stewart—a serial executive who has led operations across various billion-dollar American casual dining chains—had a gratifying career moment after being snubbed for CEO.
    Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 22 Aug. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cloy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cloy. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!