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
One of the highlights is the bread cart rolled out at the beginning of the meal, right after the waiter shaves off a roll of unctuous French butter from a huge golden mound.
—
Penny E Schwartz, Oc Register, 1 Mar. 2026
Spooned over the top is a clam and cream sauce with bits of crispy guanciale strewn throughout for an unctuous, salty backbone.
—Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026
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
Some bars are dry on the tongue, others are unctuous.
—Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unctuous
Penny E Schwartz, Oc Register, 1 Mar. 2026
Spooned over the top is a clam and cream sauce with bits of crispy guanciale strewn throughout for an unctuous, salty backbone.
—Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026
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
Some bars are dry on the tongue, others are unctuous.
—Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unctuous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unctuous
Adjective
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Obama recently teamed up with NBA All-Star Anthony Edwards to squash their fake beef while promoting his Obama Presidential Center opening June 19 in Chicago.—
Jay Stahl,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
-
The studio put an ad in The Boston Globe in December that looked like a fake engagement announcement.—
Saba Hamedy,
NBC news,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Depending on whether your skin type is oily, dry or a combination, there are different options for the best moisturizer.—
Hannah Yasharoff,
USA Today,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Soot, ash and toxic chemicals from strikes on fuel depots and a refinery combined with water droplets in the atmosphere and fell back to Earth as an oily, acidic rain that prompted warnings to stay indoors.—
Tammy Webber,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
One of the top pitching prospects in the organization, Klassen gave up an ambush double to Luke Raley on his first major league pitch but avoided damage in the first inning.—
Doug Padilla,
Oc Register,
6 Apr. 2026
-
His two-out hit in the seventh set the table for Schiek’s tying two-run double, with O’Leary scoring the equalizer.—
Steve Millar,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
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
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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
Adjective
-
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Tatianna points to cinnamon as a conductor of heat—one commonly used in lip plumper products to achieve a sultry pout.—
Essence,
Essence,
23 Nov. 2025
-
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
Adjective
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Thanks to Epperson’s goal from the front-left side of the crease in the second OT, the Pioneers avoided a sickening taste of déjà vu.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
22 Mar. 2026
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Every repeat viewing of Abraham's performance reveals some new moment of humiliation — some fresh sickening glimmer of anguish that feels all too familiar.—
Devan Coggan,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Fuel subsidies threaten to blow a hole in Jakarta’s already strained budget.—
Nicholas Gordon,
Fortune,
2 Apr. 2026
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Data centers have sparked backlash from communities across the state that are worried about higher utility bills, strained power grids and water being diverted away from families to cool servers at massive data centers.—
Brendan Steinhauser,
Sun Sentinel,
1 Apr. 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
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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 6 Apr. 2026.
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