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
Apt for even those with oily skin, apply to the face, neck, décolleté, arms, and hands for all-over protection.
—
Iman Balagam, Vogue, 14 July 2025
Slim Aarons took images of bronzed, oily bodies and ravishing clifftop meals.
—Richard Godwin, Travel + Leisure, 12 July 2025
This 30-year-old expression is smooth, flavorful, and rich on the palate, with an oily viscosity and full-bodied robustness that envelops the mouth.
—Joseph V Micallef, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
As a 35-year-old who is going through a lot of hormonal changes postpartum, my skin craves the extra hydration, but breaks out if formulas are too oily.
—Gina Vaynshteyn, StyleCaster, 9 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for oily
Iman Balagam, Vogue, 14 July 2025
Slim Aarons took images of bronzed, oily bodies and ravishing clifftop meals.
—Richard Godwin, Travel + Leisure, 12 July 2025
This 30-year-old expression is smooth, flavorful, and rich on the palate, with an oily viscosity and full-bodied robustness that envelops the mouth.
—Joseph V Micallef, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
As a 35-year-old who is going through a lot of hormonal changes postpartum, my skin craves the extra hydration, but breaks out if formulas are too oily.
—Gina Vaynshteyn, StyleCaster, 9 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for oily
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oily
Adjective
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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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Greater Boston communities at the center of the ongoing sanitation worker strike are taking Republic Services to court, seeking immediate relief as trash piles mount, attracting rats and giving off a sickening stench.—
Lance Reynolds,
Boston Herald,
17 July 2025
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Members of the furry community around the globe teamed up to comb through the Telegram channel and find the perpetrators behind the sickening animal torture and abuse.—
Melissa Locker,
Time,
17 July 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
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Martin studied under and is basically a Temu Alan Grant, while the unctuous Friend oozes with corporate evil.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
30 June 2025
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At times, the display of closeness felt a bit unctuous, as when Musk praised Trump for his gold-heavy interior design makeover of the Oval Office.—
Niall Stanage,
The Hill,
30 May 2025
Adjective
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The Social Security Administration sent a gushy, questionable email July 4 to millions of people collecting Social Security benefits and others.—
Susan Tompor,
USA Today,
21 July 2025
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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
Adjective
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Photo Gallery 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
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One way, related to my own mining venture, is through olivine, a naturally abundant magnesium silicate with extraordinary potential.—
Sahit Muja,
Forbes.com,
24 July 2025
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In point of fact, in parks and gardens abundant in plants and flowers, the grass is nothing more than a backdrop.—
Fabio Morábito,
New Yorker,
24 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Oily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oily. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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