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
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The sunscreen is a great match for dry, oily, and combination skin, as well as complexions predisposed to breakouts and rosacea.
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Fatty Fish Fatty or oily fish are fish and other seafood that naturally store oil all over their bodies, including their tissues and around their guts.
Adjective
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The unctuous and sweet char siu pork jowl is interspersed with green apple pressed with lime and ginger for a bright and crisp counter to the fatty pig.
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Made with the unctuous 8-percent-fat milk of the water buffalo—animals that may have arrived in the area via the Normans by way of Sicily, or perhaps by the Goths coming from Central Asia—buffalo mozzarella has been produced at least since the twelfth century.
Adjective
-
Toxic fumes are leaking into airplanes and sickening passengers and crew members at an alarming rate, according to a September 2025 report by The Wall Street Journal.
-
The concept of this many women vying for West is somewhat sickening to me.
Adjective
-
Though mighty hagiographic, McPhee’s ability to break down a player’s gifts makes a poetic case for the game.
-
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.
Adjective
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Remove the drain cover, clear any visible hair clogs, and soak the cover in white vinegar to remove soapy residue.
-
Soak it in hot, soapy water for about 20 minutes, then give it another good scrub to remove any remaining buildup.
Adjective
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The living room, with abundant west-facing windows brings in soft, bright light.
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Vulnerability management is still essential, but in a world where discovery is abundant, organizations need to rethink what security maturity actually looks like.
Adjective
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Except for the unfettered devotion in the latter is replaced by swooping strings and a gushy chorus that merely offer an antiseptic veneer.
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The announcement may come as a shock for country fans who have followed the couple through their sappy podcast appearances and gushy acceptance speeches.
Cite this Entry
“Oleaginous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oleaginous. Accessed 1 Jul. 2026.
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