as in oily
overly or insincerely flattering
the office manager greeted the corporate bigwigs with an oleaginous welcome that should have embarrassed him
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Recent Examples of oleaginous
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
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
Ted Cruz, the perennial front-runner, is smug and oleaginous—hated equally by his colleagues and the public.
—Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 26 Sep. 2022
The interludes make for juicy lampoons of that unfortunate Western export, oleaginous showbiz faux-intimacy.
—Peter Marks, Washington Post, 21 June 2022
The French state is represented effectively here by oleaginous High Commissioner De Roller (Magimel), a European long based in Tahiti.
—Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 May 2022
Trump cheapened the honor into near irrelevance by awarding it to Limbaugh, who died earlier this year, and then, on his way out the door in January, to two of his most oleaginous sycophants in Congress, Rep. Devin Nunes of California and Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio.
—Eric Zorn, chicagotribune.com, 22 Apr. 2021
Judy Berman, Time, 23 Sep. 2025
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
Ted Cruz, the perennial front-runner, is smug and oleaginous—hated equally by his colleagues and the public.
—Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 26 Sep. 2022
The interludes make for juicy lampoons of that unfortunate Western export, oleaginous showbiz faux-intimacy.
—Peter Marks, Washington Post, 21 June 2022
The French state is represented effectively here by oleaginous High Commissioner De Roller (Magimel), a European long based in Tahiti.
—Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 May 2022
Trump cheapened the honor into near irrelevance by awarding it to Limbaugh, who died earlier this year, and then, on his way out the door in January, to two of his most oleaginous sycophants in Congress, Rep. Devin Nunes of California and Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio.
—Eric Zorn, chicagotribune.com, 22 Apr. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oleaginous
Adjective
-
Mok added that other foods may offer similar health benefits, especially for sleep, including walnuts, tart cherry juice, oily fish like salmon, and some herbal teas, although more research is needed.—
Stephanie Brown,
Verywell Health,
2 June 2026
-
Their texture is oily and slightly crunchy, though still somewhat chewy.—
Kirsten Nunez,
Martha Stewart,
31 May 2026
Adjective
-
These are wines that pair beautifully with rich dishes, oily, unctuous fish with tomato, and pasta sauces that are rich and fatty.—
Valentina Di Donato,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
-
Here are details on the sweet, tiny bites of unctuous decadence, and the fluffy, bogus cones best left in the freezer.—
Jolene Thym,
Mercury News,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
The concept of this many women vying for West is somewhat sickening to me.—
Emma Specter,
Vogue,
27 May 2026
-
So united and powerful were these Indigenous people that some of their enemies started to get desperate, that whiff of anxiety taking on a sickening stench.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 May 2026
Adjective
-
While these celebrity docs are hagiographic and formulaic, the interviews with Nadal and family and rivals like Federer and Novak Djokovic do push beyond the surface.—
Stuart Miller,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
-
But all the myth and sorrow around the dynasty mean many takes tilt hagiographic.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Wash surfaces with warm, soapy water before sanitizing them with a solution mix of one tablespoon of chlorine bleach and one gallon of water.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
8 June 2026
-
Remove grates and filters once a month to soak in hot, soapy water in the sink.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
When farmers implemented regenerative techniques, the yield was more abundant, and the soil was full of microbial life.—
Special to The Denver Post,
Denver Post,
29 May 2026
-
The highlight of your month arrives on June 9, when Venus and Jupiter align in your sign in one of the most abundant and feel-good transits of the year.—
Kirah Tabourn,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
Perhaps no father-daughter duo is cooler than Lenny and Zoë Kravitz, but that doesn't mean the rocker is immune to all the gushy feelings fatherhood brings.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
22 Apr. 2026
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Oleaginous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oleaginous. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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