as in soapy
overly or insincerely flattering
an executive who surrounds herself with oily, sycophantic assistants
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of oily
Played with oily charisma by Murray Hamilton, the character is still booed to this day.
—
Randall Colburn, EW.com, 20 June 2025
Springbank 10 is coastal, oily, and ever so slightly peated,.
—Felipe Schrieberg, Forbes.com, 19 June 2025
Ahead, an edit of the best skincare products for oily skin, according to dermatologists and Vogue editors.
—Jenny Berg, Vogue, 13 June 2025
The latter is great for anyone with acne-prone, oily, combination, or sensitive skin.
—Jenifer Calle, Glamour, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for oily
Randall Colburn, EW.com, 20 June 2025
Springbank 10 is coastal, oily, and ever so slightly peated,.
—Felipe Schrieberg, Forbes.com, 19 June 2025
Ahead, an edit of the best skincare products for oily skin, according to dermatologists and Vogue editors.
—Jenny Berg, Vogue, 13 June 2025
The latter is great for anyone with acne-prone, oily, combination, or sensitive skin.
—Jenifer Calle, Glamour, 5 June 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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The portal that allows the players to go from school to school is also sickening.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
9 June 2025
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The Queens Botanical Garden’s annual Pride event will feature DJ music, after-hours access to the garden and sickening drag performances by Nani Tsunami and Janae SaisQuoi.—
Muri Assunção,
New York Daily News,
14 June 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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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
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The frenzied yet articulate tenor Gerhard Siegel, a veteran Herod, oozes unctuous entitlement.—
Zachary Woolfe,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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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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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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
Adjective
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Uranium supplies are abundant, and their prices aren’t nearly as volatile as the prices are for other fuels.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
27 June 2025
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This, in turn, implies that substructures form much earlier than previously thought — while such disks are still abundant with gas and dust.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
26 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Oily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oily. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.
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