SLATHER Synonyms: 91 Similar and Opposite Words

slather 1 of 2

verb

Definition of slather

as in to smear

to put a thick layer of a liquid, cream, etc. over (something) We ate lobster slathered with butter. She slathered her skin with sunscreen.

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Dissimilar Words

slather

2 of 2

noun

as in gobs

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Dissimilar Words

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 slather

Verb

The President, who likes his steak well done and slathered in ketchup, met with a Brazilian beef magnate named Joesley Batista, who in the past had admitted to making large payments to public officials and was briefly jailed. — Bill McKibben, New Yorker, 17 Sep. 2026 The goat is tender and deeply savory, the perfect vehicle for slathering charred avocado and queso for a truly melt-in-your-mouth bite. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Sep. 2026 They’ll be served up with fresh asparagus and a couple of large taters slathered with butter, sour cream and chives. — Sean Joseph Outkick, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2026 At one point, Boyle literally slathers him in spurts of newspaper ink to literalize how much blood is on his hands. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 2 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for slather

Recent Examples of Synonyms for slather

Verb

With a major election less than a week away, candidates and their consultants are pounding Floridians with a barrage of words — some intended to cast themselves in a flattering light, some intended to smear and degrade their opponents.

— Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Oct. 2026
Apparently, ancient Greeks used breadsticks smeared with olive oil as a lubricant.

— Rachel Handler, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of smear

Noun

But the temporary arena is covering nearly the entirety of the White House's South Lawn, where Marine One usually lands to ferry the president to out-of-town trips and gobs of kids scramble in the grass during the Easter Egg Roll every spring.

— ABC News, ABC News, 11 June 2026
But the temporary arena is covering nearly the entirety of the White House’s South Lawn, where Marine One usually lands to ferry the president to out-of-town trips and gobs of kids scramble in the grass during the Easter Egg Roll every spring.

— Will Weissert, Chicago Tribune, 11 June 2026

Definition of gobs

Verb

But the media was very quick to anoint them as a major contender in the AFC.

— Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Later, Keldermans and fellow clergy member Katherine Elsner anointed a congregant who was having surgery later that month and then gave her a prayer blanket blessed by the community.

— Jonathan Bullington, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of anoint

Noun

But the Lions lost a slew of experienced players from the team that went 11-2 and struggled in the early going this season.

— Lori Riley, Hartford Courant, 27 Oct. 2026
Microsoft has been ramping up spending on data centers to accommodate high AI computing demand, supplying cloud services to Anthropic, OpenAI and a slew of other companies.

— Jordan Novet, CNBC, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of slew

Verb

Hold the stencil down in place, and use the paintbrush to dab a light layer of paint over the stencil.

— Emily Williams, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Sep. 2026
Be sure to dab stains—don’t rub or press with force—with cool water, which can lighten most spots and remove others altogether.

— Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of dab

Noun

Fourteen candidates filed on the last day for 2027 hopefuls to turn in their nominating petitions, as mayoral candidates lugged in their stacks of signatures with some personal flair.

— Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 27 Oct. 2026
Diana Loya emerged from it, wearing heels and holding a stack of campaign literature.

— Jesús Rodríguez, New Yorker, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of stack

Verb

Coming from such a chronically online space where people know me as that girl who would plaster your timeline with my music over and over and over again.

— Kyle Denis, Billboard, 28 Sep. 2026
Building affordable housing at scale means politicians need to break up with wealthy special interests like the construction accident lawyers who plaster the city and MTA buses with billboards and ads.

— Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of plaster

Noun

Hours later, a group of rescuers in hard hats were using poles stripped from trees to poke at the huge pile of rubble.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
There was a basket with lemons, each one tied with red curling ribbon, fish spices stacked, the register with all the keys covered by a silicone hood, and a pile of newspapers next to a pile of wrapping sheets.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of pile

Browse Nearby Words

slates

slather

slathered

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Slather.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slather. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of slather

verb

noun

Example Sentences

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