as in sickening
overly or insincerely flattering
a gushy review of a novel by an author who just happened to be a friend of the critic
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gushy
To that end, yes, honeymoon phases are gushy (and self-absorbed).
—
Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 19 June 2024
Anything to keep those gushy feelings on repeat in your body!
—Carina Hsieh, SELF, 30 Jan. 2024
The movie falters here and there, lapsing into sentimentality—with accompanying gushy music—during a wedding scene, and that in-person confrontation between Monk and Sintara happens only because Jefferson has overcomplicated the story’s plot.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 15 Dec. 2023
Her breezy, gushy style could give the sadness of her lyrics a sneaky potency.
—Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2023
See All Example Sentences for gushy
Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 19 June 2024
Anything to keep those gushy feelings on repeat in your body!
—Carina Hsieh, SELF, 30 Jan. 2024
The movie falters here and there, lapsing into sentimentality—with accompanying gushy music—during a wedding scene, and that in-person confrontation between Monk and Sintara happens only because Jefferson has overcomplicated the story’s plot.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 15 Dec. 2023
Her breezy, gushy style could give the sadness of her lyrics a sneaky potency.
—Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2023
See All Example Sentences for gushy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gushy
Adjective
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Thanks to Epperson’s goal from the front-left side of the crease in the second OT, the Pioneers avoided a sickening taste of déjà vu.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
22 Mar. 2026
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Every repeat viewing of Abraham's performance reveals some new moment of humiliation — some fresh sickening glimmer of anguish that feels all too familiar.—
Devan Coggan,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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There’s a lovely, gentle soapy smell throughout the hotel.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
19 Mar. 2026
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Wash the carafe and filter basket with warm, soapy water before using the machine again.—
Louise Parks,
Martha Stewart,
16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Yellowish stool can be associated with oily and greasy foods, which should be avoided on GLP-1s.—
Nicole Hernandez,
USA Today,
25 Mar. 2026
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Glamour contributor Mary Honkus expected this to have an oily consistency, but instead the texture feels thick and silky.—
Danielle Sinay,
Glamour,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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But all the myth and sorrow around the dynasty mean many takes tilt hagiographic.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
23 Mar. 2026
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The Gracious Visionary is a rather hagiographic film title for one’s life and work.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
22 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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For the richest, densest, most unctuous quiche, choose heavy cream.—
Georgeanne Brennan,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2026
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Then, there’s Agatha (Wasikowska) dropping into town seemingly from the sky to enact a grand plan involving her estranged family, self-help guru Stafford Weiss (Cusack), and her unctuous showbiz mom (Williams, making the case that Lady Macbeth really could’ve just used a damn cigarette).—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Reggie’s solution is to hire Arthur Tobin (Daniel Radcliffe), an Oscar-winning documentarian, to make an adulatory film about him, changing public perception and opening new doors.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Jan. 2026
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Though the pilot wasn't picked up, Spinal Tap endured, acting as the primary subject of the first film's sendup of breathlessly adulatory rock biopics like Martin Scorsese's The Last Waltz.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Plaintiffs’ attorney Mark Lanier leaned on his down-home Texas folksiness throughout the trial, telling the jury what was on his heart and scribbling with grease pencil on his demonstrative aids.—
Sonja Sharp,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Mar. 2026
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That duo — 23 and 21, respectively — need to be more demonstrative and intentional about getting the Rockets into offensive sets and engineering good possessions, their coach said.—
Varun Shankar,
Houston Chronicle,
22 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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His widow doesn’t exactly look too broken up; less than a week after his death, Lee spots her snuggling with Dale’s brother Donald, an oleaginous candidate for governor played by Kyle MacLachlan.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
23 Sep. 2025
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One defense, beginning in the late eighteen-hundreds, was flypaper, sheets of which were coated on one side with an oleaginous substance that lured flies, then permanently trapped them.—
David Owen,
The New Yorker,
27 July 2024
Cite this Entry
“Gushy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gushy. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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