OLEAGINOUS Synonyms: 51 Similar and Opposite Words

oleaginous

adjective

ˌō-lē-ˈa-jə-nəs

Definition of oleaginous

as in oily

overly or insincerely flattering the office manager greeted the corporate bigwigs with an oleaginous welcome that should have embarrassed him

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of oleaginous 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for oleaginous

Adjective

As the coconut milk breaks and separates (cracks), look for traces of yellow-green oil bubbling at the edge or a slightly dark yellow-green oily film on top.

— Kate Bradshaw, Mercury News, 18 Aug. 2026
Every touch seems to leave behind an oily smudge on stainless steel.

— Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of oily

Adjective

Played with unctuous authority by the multilingual Danish performer Claes Bang, Kersten claims to have used his influence to obtain the freedom of thousands of concentration camp prisoners, and is obsessed with winning a Nobel Prize.

— Alissa Simon, Variety, 7 Aug. 2026
The uni—or sea urchin—come from Hokkaido and have an unctuous, egg yolk richness.

— Erika Ebsworth-Goold, Midwest Living, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of unctuous

Adjective

Wildlife officials had found that many of these poisons worked their way through the food chain, sickening and killing owls, raptors, coyotes and mountain lions.

— Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2026
More importantly, the China business, long a stalwart, started a sickening double-digit decline.

— Jim Cramer, CNBC, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of sickening

Adjective

Though mighty hagiographic, McPhee’s ability to break down a player’s gifts makes a poetic case for the game.

— Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 18 June 2026
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

Definition of hagiographic

Adjective

The sultry, soapy Netflix series — based on the 2021 novel by May Cobb — follows Sophie (Brittany Snow), a Boston transplant who moves to Texas and falls in with an elite group of women led by Margo (Malin Akerman).

— Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 22 Aug. 2026
Be careful to not use too much, or you’ll be left with a soapy mess.

— Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of soapy

Adjective

The location provides key advantages, state officials said, including access to abundant natural gas and the ability to launch to a wide range of trajectories.

— Stephen Smith, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Voya says its fuel can be made from low-grade scrap aluminum, giving the system a potential route to turn an abundant waste material into a source of firm electricity.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of abundant

Adjective

Except for the unfettered devotion in the latter is replaced by swooping strings and a gushy chorus that merely offer an antiseptic veneer.

— Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 18 June 2026
The announcement may come as a shock for country fans who have followed the couple through their sappy podcast appearances and gushy acceptance speeches.

— Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2026

Definition of gushy

Browse Nearby Words

old-world

oleaginous

oligarchies

See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

Style

“Oleaginous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oleaginous. Accessed 27 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of oleaginous

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

southpaw

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words

Popular in Wordplay

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Why do we say 'break a leg'?

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Games & Quizzes