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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At the bottom of the Olympia delle Tofane slope, in the grandstands about 2,000 feet below, there was nothing but a sickening silence after Vonn’s crash.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
22 Feb. 2026
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The rest of us could only imagine Randall’s sickening embarrassment at needing to testify at the trial.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Plug the sink's drain and add just enough hot, soapy water to fully cover the rack.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
28 Feb. 2026
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The show, then and now, combines a sentimental, satirical, soapy, sometimes surreal comedy with a straightforward medical show.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Let the board sit for a few hours or overnight, then buff to remove any remaining oily residue.—
Patricia Shannon,
Better Homes & Gardens,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Bad sesame-ginger dressings are watery, wimpy, oily or syrupy.—
Jolene Thym,
Mercury News,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
What historians and theologians know about Francis comes primarily from his own writings and hagiographic texts.—
Vanessa Corcoran,
The Conversation,
2 Feb. 2026
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Of course, a person making a hagiographic documentary about the production of the show for Netflix probably isn’t the world’s most neutral source.—
Sharon Adarlo,
Futurism,
14 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
There is nothing unctuous about the clear, aromatic broth.—
Matthew Odam,
Austin American Statesman,
2 Mar. 2026
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One of the highlights is the bread cart rolled out at the beginning of the meal, right after the waiter shaves off a roll of unctuous French butter from a huge golden mound.—
Penny E Schwartz,
Oc Register,
1 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
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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Udoka pointed out after Saturday’s loss that both Thompson and Sheppard have to be more demonstrative as point guards to get teammates into the right spots and to run offensive sets that take advantage of certain matchups when those moments arrive.—
William Guillory,
New York Times,
22 Feb. 2026
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In any case, Shelter reliably provides plenty of the action that Statham fans crave, not to mention his trademark charisma and low-key underplaying that makes Charles Bronson look overly demonstrative.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Jan. 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 10 Mar. 2026.
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