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
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Recent Examples of cloyBut 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
Research shows that people who acknowledge or apologize for rejection risk activating the rejectee’s ire, rather than alleviating hurt feelings.
—
Anna Holmes,
The Atlantic,
20 Oct. 2025
All the while, opportunities for renewable energy development — which could quickly alleviate some of the pain from electric bills and electricity demand from new industry — are constricting across the state.
The formula works not just to lighten discoloration, but also to visibly shrink and smooth the look of spots for a more even, luminous complexion overall.
—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
18 Oct. 2025
From duffels to backpacks to cross-body bags, these picks are built to lighten the load.
—
Christopher Murray
may earn a commission if you buy through our referral links. This content was created by a team that works independently from the Fox newsroom.,
FOXNews.com,
17 Oct. 2025
By virtue of its sheer scale, everything that gratifies us about submarine cables feels amplified a hundredfold in 2Africa; the same goes for everything that worries us.
—
Samanth Subramanian,
The Dial,
14 Oct. 2025
But for now, having the product in people’s hands and offering women a solution unlike anything else is gratifying.
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