as in soapy
overly or insincerely flattering
an executive who surrounds herself with oily, sycophantic assistants
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of oily
Succulent mid palate with lightness that provides a pleasant oily mouth feel.
—
Tom Mullen, Forbes.com, 11 May 2025
What to look for in a quality eye makeup remover
Oil-free
For those with oily skin, oil-free makeup removers can be a necessity.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 7 May 2025
Original price: $99 The Art of Shaving pre-shave beard oil is a luxurious oil made from a unique blend of botanicals that won’t leave an oily residue.
—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, 29 Apr. 2025
Like creams, oily skin types generally avoid this formula.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for oily
Tom Mullen, Forbes.com, 11 May 2025
What to look for in a quality eye makeup remover
Oil-free
For those with oily skin, oil-free makeup removers can be a necessity.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 7 May 2025
Original price: $99 The Art of Shaving pre-shave beard oil is a luxurious oil made from a unique blend of botanicals that won’t leave an oily residue.
—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, 29 Apr. 2025
Like creams, oily skin types generally avoid this formula.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for oily
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oily
Adjective
-
When Rudd, 55, appeared on Fallon's late night show to promote his new A24 movie Death of a Unicorn on Thursday, March 27, Fallon, 50, noted that Rudd has performed in just about every genre of film, television and theater one could imagine — except for the soapiest of soap operas.—
Tommy McArdle,
People.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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There is just cause for the soapier parts: Manet was married, and Morisot wed his brother.—
Julie Belcove,
Robb Report,
23 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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But the defense is hoping to cast her recollections merely as sickening details in a deranged love story between two consenting and jealous adults.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
17 May 2025
-
For years, raw sewage from Mexico has poured across the border into Southern California, fouling beaches, sickening residents and sparking diplomatic as well as environmental concerns.—
Joe Edwards,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 May 2025
Adjective
-
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
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At any moment, the noodles might dissolve, the cheese topping burn, the dish collapse into a soggy, oleaginous mess.—
Isaac Butler,
The New Yorker,
1 Dec. 2023
Adjective
-
The frenzied yet articulate tenor Gerhard Siegel, a veteran Herod, oozes unctuous entitlement.—
Zachary Woolfe,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2025
-
Then Maddy unexpectedly turns on the humor and charm when Austin’s Hollywood agent Saul — played with unctuous insincerity by Dave Rivas — arrives to talk business.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
That unspoken contract between gore-hungry viewers and the film is mostly forged by Christien Tinsley, the makeup effects artist whose gushy prosthetics are shown off at every turn.—
Joshua Rothkopf,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Oct. 2024
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The chatter has only grown in recent days, after Ms. Anderson — who just celebrated a birthday — posted a story on her Instagram account, showing a lavish bouquet of flowers and a gushy card from an admirer.—
Jesse McKinley,
New York Times,
12 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Feeling the heat, George accepts an offer to take the lead in a largely fictional and completely hagiographic biopic of (current) Egyptian president Al-Sisi.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
19 May 2025
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The hagiographic mode gave way to a more prosecutorial one.—
Benjamin Wallace-Wells,
New Yorker,
19 May 2025
Adjective
-
With warmer weather comes fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables packed with abundant nutrients.—
Cristina Mutchler,
Verywell Health,
23 May 2025
-
Investment in nuclear power is growing in the U.S. after a long period of financial turmoil for the industry, including the shutdown of a dozen reactors in recent years as the industry struggled to compete against cheap and abundant natural gas.—
Spencer Kimball,
CNBC,
23 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Oily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oily. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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