1
as in fake
not being or expressing what one appears to be or express
an unctuous effort to appear religious to the voters
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in oily
overly or insincerely flattering
an unctuous appraisal of the musical talent shown by the boss's daughter
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unctuous
But there's an elevated simplicity in Rolf and Daughters' tangle of excellent tonnarelli, spun in an unctuous garlicky sauce, finished with sweet, tender lumps of Dungeness crab.
—
Mackensy Lunsford, Nashville Tennessean, 14 July 2025
Martin studied under and is basically a Temu Alan Grant, while the unctuous Friend oozes with corporate evil.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 30 June 2025
The free-range pork chop from Washington’s Pure Country Farm gets more char but remains unctuous, a rarity for such a lean cut.
—Leilani Marie Labong, Travel + Leisure, 29 June 2025
At times, the display of closeness felt a bit unctuous, as when Musk praised Trump for his gold-heavy interior design makeover of the Oval Office.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for unctuous
Mackensy Lunsford, Nashville Tennessean, 14 July 2025
Martin studied under and is basically a Temu Alan Grant, while the unctuous Friend oozes with corporate evil.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 30 June 2025
The free-range pork chop from Washington’s Pure Country Farm gets more char but remains unctuous, a rarity for such a lean cut.
—Leilani Marie Labong, Travel + Leisure, 29 June 2025
At times, the display of closeness felt a bit unctuous, as when Musk praised Trump for his gold-heavy interior design makeover of the Oval Office.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for unctuous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unctuous
Adjective
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Punter Sean West — whose long 24-yard heave on a fake punt outgained every quarterback on the roster.—
Ira Gorawara,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Green expertly applies fake eyelashes, thick foundation and a dessert brown eye look, while Messina goes to work piling tight curls atop my head.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Herring Herring are small, oily fish that are similar to sardines.—
Jillian Kubala,
Health,
6 Nov. 2025
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How To Get Rid Of Grease Stains For really oily, greasy stains, start by coating them with a layer of cornstarch or baking soda to soak up some of the grease.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
James Watson, who co-discovered the double-helix structure of DNA in 1953, has died at age 97.—
Sophia Compton,
FOXNews.com,
8 Nov. 2025
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Using what was known about biology at the time and X-ray images, the two determined that DNA had a double-helix structure - like a twisted ladder, with each rung made up of a pair of chemicals.—
Reuters,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
Adjective
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The pop of color offers a shimmer-free (rare!) means of warming up a wedding look and works equally well at lip level.—
Calin Van Paris,
Vogue,
12 Aug. 2025
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By After Testing Over 30 Best Sellers By Siena Gagliano Unlike balms, which can make lip color slide around, a primer locks it in while keeping lips soft and comfortable.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
2 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Up north, hundreds of sea lions have been found on beaches in recent months suffering from a bacterial condition that is sickening and killing younger sea lions by attacking their kidneys, said John Warner, CEO of the Marine Mammal Care Center Los Angeles in San Pedro.—
Erika I. Ritchie,
Oc Register,
29 Oct. 2025
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Winter is coming, and no amount of Narcan can solve this sickening public health crisis.—
Joe Dwinell,
Boston Herald,
19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The data center explosion has created boom towns across the US, but strained grids and increased housing prices and energy costs.—
Brendan Ruberry,
semafor.com,
10 Nov. 2025
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Judge has been working to rebuild her strained relationship with Sidney for years.—
Hannah Sacks,
PEOPLE,
10 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
“Unctuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unctuous. Accessed 18 Nov. 2025.
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