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
Adam Campbell-Schmitt, Bon Appetit Magazine, 23 Oct. 2025
His frequent use of direct-to-camera narration initially seems like a cloying misstep (mostly because so many other movies have sucked the fun out of that device).
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 17 Oct. 2025
The cloying missive goes on to explain that Google didn't really want to ban all those accounts, but Biden administration officials just kept asking.
—Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica, 23 Sep. 2025
The sole respite from the cloying ooze was the strawberries, which tasted wholesome by comparison.
—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cloying
Adjective
Mocha landed on the more cloying end and the Salted Caramel much more reminiscent of asking your barista to add just one or two flavor shots.
—Adam Campbell-Schmitt, Bon Appetit Magazine, 23 Oct. 2025
His frequent use of direct-to-camera narration initially seems like a cloying misstep (mostly because so many other movies have sucked the fun out of that device).
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 17 Oct. 2025
The cloying missive goes on to explain that Google didn't really want to ban all those accounts, but Biden administration officials just kept asking.
—Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica, 23 Sep. 2025
The sole respite from the cloying ooze was the strawberries, which tasted wholesome by comparison.
—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cloying
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cloying
Adjective
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Her new album, La Dame, unites slower and more sentimental shatta ballads with the thumping dancefloor heaters that first drew me to her music.—
Anna Gaca,
Pitchfork,
13 Jan. 2026
-
In December 2025, Bündchen reflected on how her baby boy's birth changed her life in a sentimental Instagram post.—
Yasmeen Hamadeh,
PEOPLE,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But Starbucks is now struggling, and its strategy of saturating urban areas to draw coffee drinkers on their way to work in the morning has backfired amid competition, the rise of remote work and rising costs.—
Nathaniel Meyersohn,
CNN Money,
29 Dec. 2025
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For occasional deep refreshes, coarse salt or baking soda can help lift stains without saturating the wood.—
Bridget Shirvell,
Martha Stewart,
29 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Cramer said strong signs from forwarding holiday spending suggest inflation may remain sticky, setting up tension between a president eager to contain prices and consumers who have borne the brunt of inflation.—
Luke Fountain,
CNBC,
10 Jan. 2026
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To keep a tension rod from slipping, look for rods that have rubber stoppers on the ends or that come with sticky wall brackets.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Lamont, while not weighing in directly on Iroquois’ proposal, has been generally supportive of expanding pipelines as a way of increasing the supply of natural gas flowing into New England and alleviating winter price spikes.—
John Moritz,
Hartford Courant,
9 Jan. 2026
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However, $500 million in homelessness funds approved last year will still be available to local governments — as long as the state determines cities and counties applying for the money have made sufficient progress in alleviating the crisis.—
Ethan Varian,
Mercury News,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Absent were any sloppy moments or off-the-cuff interactions.—
Lisa Respers France,
CNN Money,
12 Jan. 2026
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And devoured them again Saturday night at Viejas Arena in a sloppy 71-52 win that kept the Aztecs tied with Utah State atop the Mountain West at 5-0.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Browns let go of Kevin Stefanski The Cleveland Browns kicked off the infamous day in the NFL calendar by relieving Kevin Stefanski of head coaching duties after six seasons in charge of the team, the franchise announced in a statement.—
Kevin Dotson,
CNN Money,
5 Jan. 2026
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Colorado doesn’t have any way of quantifying whether areas need more hospital beds, and health systems generally described their recent projects as bringing specific types of care closer to communities, rather than relieving a crunch on their existing facilities.—
Meg Wingerter,
Denver Post,
31 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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What might smell delicious and inviting to one may seem saccharine or cloying to another; some folks prefer cleaner, brighter scents, while others reach for the musky, woodsy ones.—
Betsy Cribb Watson,
Southern Living,
25 Nov. 2025
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Though the show may seem like a perfectly picturesque, saccharine snow globe at first glance, there's a bite woven in, at times acerbic, at times deeply dramatic in a real-life way.—
Anika Reed,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cloying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cloying. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
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