as in soapy
overly or insincerely flattering
an executive who surrounds herself with oily, sycophantic assistants
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of oily
Gary Oldman’s Jackson Lamb speaks pure London, while West plays his oily Home Secretary Peter Judd high posh.
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Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov. 2024
The half dozen clams each had a mountain of plump crab meat that was chopped and mixed with the clam itself, and the oily sauce with bits of herbs and spices made for a luscious, buttery bite.
—Kaitlyn Rosati, New York Daily News, 20 Nov. 2024
Excess insulin can trigger the glands in your skin to produce more sebum, an oily substance that clogs pores and creates an environment conducive to acne development.7
4.
—Lauren Panoff, Mph, Rd, Verywell Health, 4 Nov. 2024
These oily fish contain omega-3 fatty acids and are good sources of protein, vitamins, selenium, and calcium.
—Lana Barhum, Verywell Health, 31 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for oily 
Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov. 2024
The half dozen clams each had a mountain of plump crab meat that was chopped and mixed with the clam itself, and the oily sauce with bits of herbs and spices made for a luscious, buttery bite.
—Kaitlyn Rosati, New York Daily News, 20 Nov. 2024
Excess insulin can trigger the glands in your skin to produce more sebum, an oily substance that clogs pores and creates an environment conducive to acne development.7
4.
—Lauren Panoff, Mph, Rd, Verywell Health, 4 Nov. 2024
These oily fish contain omega-3 fatty acids and are good sources of protein, vitamins, selenium, and calcium.
—Lana Barhum, Verywell Health, 31 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for oily
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oily
Adjective
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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
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The group that seems to have inspired Reid is Fleetwood Mac, which, with its shifting intramural love relationships, sundry drug problems and issues of control — the soapiest of rock’s many operas — was a romance novel/miniseries waiting to happen.Robert LloydTelevision Critic, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2023
Adjective
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The yearling scrambled back up its tree, then let go and fell, landing with a sickening thud.Paige Williams, The New Yorker, 25 Nov. 2024
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White House condemns 'sickening' Nazi march in Columbus, Ohio University of Rochester President Sarah Mangelsdorf denounced the posters last week.Ivan Pereira, ABC News, 20 Nov. 2024
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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Pasta sauces are unctuous, and the tiramisu made my lactose-intolerant dining companion giddy.Kendyl Kearly, Baltimore Sun, 25 Nov. 2024
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For cooking the aromatic vegetables, but also dotted overtop, butter seeps into the breadcrumbs and crisps up the top for an unctuous, golden bite.Catherine Jessee, Southern Living, 23 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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There’s no better time to embrace the mushy gushy than in the first few moments after winning gold medals together.Meg Linehan, The Athletic, 10 Aug. 2024
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To that end, yes, honeymoon phases are gushy (and self-absorbed).Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 19 June 2024
Adjective
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Andrew Stevens pays loving but not hagiographic tribute to his late mother, famed actress Stella Stevens, in his documentary recently showcased at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival.Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
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This is no hagiographic portrait of Czechoslovak Radio as a beacon of civic resistance.Manuel Betancourt, Variety, 30 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Crime was abundant there, as were drug dealers and prostitutes, said Max Seifert, a former Kansas City police officer who graduated from the police academy with Golubski in 1975.Heather Hollingsworth, Los Angeles Times, 2 Dec. 2024
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These islands are abundant with unique species, having once been connected by land but since separated by water for millions of years.Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 30 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near oily
Cite this Entry
“Oily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oily. Accessed 11 Dec. 2024.
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