Synonyms of cloy

cloy

verb

as in to saturate

Related Words

• saturate
• alleviate
• lighten
• gratify
• relieve
• surfeit
• indulge
• humor
• slake
• cater (to)
• sate
• quench
• satiate
• satisfy
• assuage

Dissimilar Words

• stimulate
• excite
• arouse
• pique
• tease
• tantalize

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

Recent Examples of cloy

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

That sweetness can cloy if it’s not suitably chilled and diluted, which is why almost everyone chooses to make it on the rocks. —Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 16 Dec. 2021

The museum’s sacredness to many, including me, can cloy a little. —Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 8 Feb. 2021