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
-
Their ice maker expelled large clumps of wet salt, which, when rubbed, dissolved into an oily, foul-smelling substance.—
Nick Bowlin,
The Frontier,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Don’t remove the oily coffee film with soap or hands - that film adds richness to the flavor of the coffee.—
Taylor Tobin,
Southern Living,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The bun was buttery and slightly sweet, the pickles and mustard lended a bit of tang to the unctuous beef patties smothered in melty American cheese, and the sweet-but-slightly-spicy Sassy Sauce brought it all together without overpowering any other flavors.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
14 Feb. 2026
-
At Big Ma’s, the ribs are cut into manageable pieces, with just enough fat to leave the meat unctuous but easy to eat.—
Jenn Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The rest of us could only imagine Randall’s sickening embarrassment at needing to testify at the trial.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Her death — sudden, severe, senseless — is sickening.—
Noel Murray,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
What historians and theologians know about Francis comes primarily from his own writings and hagiographic texts.—
Vanessa Corcoran,
The Conversation,
2 Feb. 2026
-
Of course, a person making a hagiographic documentary about the production of the show for Netflix probably isn’t the world’s most neutral source.—
Sharon Adarlo,
Futurism,
14 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Rinse out the cloth in clean water and finish by wiping down the grids to remove any soapy residue.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
The Spruce,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Always wash vases with warm, soapy water in between uses to prevent the transmission of bacteria and disease from one bouquet to the next.—
Heather Zidack,
Hartford Courant,
15 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Iowa's dining scene is so abundant, another meat-centric place — albeit with a different vibe — joined the high-end steakhouse on the Restaurants of the Year list.—
Rachel E. Stassen-Berger,
Des Moines Register,
12 Feb. 2026
-
Hundreds of coal plants have closed in the United States in recent years as inexpensive and cleaner natural gas and renewables became super-abundant.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Oleaginous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oleaginous. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
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