as in sentimental
appealing to the emotions in an obvious and tiresome way
the cloying sentiments of so many Mother's Day cards
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cloying
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026
Plus, the jojoba oil gives it a light, inoffensive smell that’s heavenly to inhale compared to the strong, cloying scents of other men’s products.
—Irene Richardson, InStyle, 21 Jan. 2026
Money woes will slowly leave you, as will that cloying streak of bad luck.
—Snehaa Khanna Sahgal, Vogue, 26 Nov. 2025
Erivo and Grande have gotten flack for their joint press interviews that people perceive as codependent, cloying, and overly emotional.
—Kathleen Newman-Bremang, Refinery29, 22 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cloying
Adjective
In its all-too-human view of life, this is, entertainingly, whatever the opposite of a cloying graduation speech is.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026
Plus, the jojoba oil gives it a light, inoffensive smell that’s heavenly to inhale compared to the strong, cloying scents of other men’s products.
—Irene Richardson, InStyle, 21 Jan. 2026
Money woes will slowly leave you, as will that cloying streak of bad luck.
—Snehaa Khanna Sahgal, Vogue, 26 Nov. 2025
Erivo and Grande have gotten flack for their joint press interviews that people perceive as codependent, cloying, and overly emotional.
—Kathleen Newman-Bremang, Refinery29, 22 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cloying
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cloying
Adjective
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Or, for Mark Layne, sentimental.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
6 June 2026
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The month begins with Mercury entering sentimental Cancer on June 1, adding a layer of sensitivity, intuition and vulnerability to our exchanges.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
5 June 2026
Verb
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Start by saturating the sponge with water and microwaving it on high for one to two minutes.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
1 June 2026
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By saturating Kyiv with large numbers of ballistic missiles on Sunday, Russia may also be seeking to deplete Ukraine's limited stocks ahead of what could be an even more intense wave of attacks this summer.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
24 May 2026
Adjective
-
Certain traps, such as the sticky paper ones, eventually run out of space.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
9 June 2026
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The hot, humid, and sticky weather is expected to continue into Wednesday.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
9 June 2026
Verb
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Training also matters, as systems that generate excessive low-value alerts contribute to fatigue rather than alleviating it.—
Ethan Stone
June 3,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 June 2026
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The Center on Colfax recommends alleviating traffic by taking public transit, Veo scooters, or rideshare.—
Brian Sherrod,
CBS News,
1 June 2026
Adjective
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San Antonio made nine of its first 11 shots, with the Knicks and their fans frustrated by the referees and the home team’s sloppy play, and led 33-22 after one.—
Brian Mahoney,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
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Later in 2025 Blanche oversaw the release of documents as mandated by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which drew criticism from Epstein survivors as being slow, sloppy, and incomplete.—
Tracy Grant,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
9 June 2026
Verb
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The craniectomy, which removed 40 percent of her skull, saved Erbert's life by relieving pressure caused by the hematoma, a collection of blood that had formed from a burst blood vessel.—
Kathleen Perricone,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 June 2026
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Cormann warned that government spending aimed at relieving energy costs needed to be aimed at those most in need and temporary, to avoid running up excess government debt and preserving incentives to save energy.—
David McHugh,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2026
Adjective
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After a monstrous, hallucinatory night, Rosemary (Mia Farrow) learns of a pregnancy that turns her saccharine life into something sinister.—
Arushi Jacob,
Variety,
1 June 2026
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There's an undeniable allure to the pale yellow shade, a saccharine hue that teeters the line on both mellow and bright.—
Emily Kelleher,
InStyle,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cloying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cloying. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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